“The regime in Tehran should understand that any attacks by them or their proxies of any identity against US interests or citizens will be answered with a swift and decisive US response,” Pompeo wrote in a statement warning Iran should not mistake US “restraint” for a “lack of resolve” and criticizing Iran for “an escalating series of threatening actions and statements in recent weeks.”

While Pompeo insists “we do not seek war,” the statement's wording leaves ample room for it, from describing Iran's expected offenses in vague terms (“proxies of any identity” attacking “US interests or citizens”) to suggesting the US will have a decisive role in “taking steps to give Iran the future it deserves.”

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