US Defesce Secretary James Mattis has described reports that America is preparing to strike Iran as "fiction".
Senior figures in the Australian Turnbull government told the ABC they believe the United States is prepared to bomb Iran's nuclear facilities, perhaps as early as next month, and that Australia was poised to help identify possible targets.
Political observers in Tehran said late Friday that it was very strange that the government in Canberra would want to join ranks with the embattled Trump White House against Iran and contribute to the US’ perceived military aggression against a sovereign state.
Mattis dismissed the reports at a press conference on Friday, ABC reported.
"I have no idea where the Australian news people got that information," he said.
"I'm confident it is not something that's being considered right now and I think it's a complete, frankly, it's fiction."
Mattis' response echoes that of Prime Minister Malcolm Turnbull, who said yesterday morning he had no reason to believe the US was preparing for a military confrontation.
Mattis also said the United States has not instituted a policy of regime change or collapse in Iran, saying the goal was still to curb what Washington sees as Iran’s threatening behavior in the Middle East.
Mattis’ remarks were the most detailed by a senior administration official about US policy toward Iran following high-level discussions at the White House on Thursday that included the topic of Iran.
