Washington, US Special Representative for Iran Brian Hook on Wednesday described US latest move in the Middle East as “defensive”, reaffirming that Washington seeks a “comprehensive and enduring deal” with Tehran.
“No one should be uncertain about our desire for peace or our readiness to normalise relations should we reach a comprehensive deal,” Hook said during a congressional hearing, Xinhua news agency reported.
Hook told the House Committee on Foreign Affairs that the ongoing pressure campaign against Iran has been effective, which aims to deprive Iran’s revenue and to force it back to the table.
US President Donald Trump pulled Washington out of a nuclear deal in May last year and resumed energy and financial sanctions on the Islamic Republic.
The US in the past weeks has continuously deployed military assets to the region on the pretext of “Iran’s threat.” The latest move was on Monday when Pentagon announced to send about 1,000 additional troops to the Middle East.
Despite Hook called these actions as “defensive move” to restore deterrence, lawmakers were worried about the growing risk of unintended conflict between the US and Iran.
