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Washington: We are not involved in offensive operations in the Middle East

US Secretary of State Anthony Blinken repeatedly refused to confirm the reported Israeli attack on Iran

Apr 19, 2024 16:59 228

Washington: We are not involved in offensive operations in the Middle East  - 1

US Secretary of State Anthony Blinken repeatedly refused to confirm the reported Israeli attack on Iran, reports "Reuters" ;.

Instead, he emphasized that Washington was not involved in any offensive operations and was committed to de-escalating tensions in the region.

"I will not comment on that, I will only say that the United States has not participated in any offensive operations,", Blinken said at a press conference after the meeting of G7 foreign ministers on the Italian island of Capri.

"What we are focused on, what the G7 is focused on - it is reflected in our statement and in our conversation - is our work to de-escalate tensions, to de-escalate against any potential conflicts,' he pointed out.

The US top diplomat repeated the same answer - almost verbatim - when asked about it several times at the press conference.

At a separate news conference earlier, Italian Foreign Minister Antonio Tajani said the United States had been "informed at the last minute," but gave no further details.

Explosions rang out over the Iranian city of Isfahan early this morning. Sources said it was an Israeli attack, but Tehran played down the incident and said it had no plans to retaliate, a response that appeared to be aimed at preventing a region-wide war.

Israel has not commented on the incident. It had been claimed for days that Tel Aviv planned to retaliate against Iran for Saturday's strikes - Tehran's first direct attack on Israel in decades of shadow war that has escalated across the Middle East during six months of fighting in Gaza.