The United States has “no interest in engaging in a new conflict in the Middle East”, the U.S. military said on Thursday.

The remarks were made by Lieutenant Colonel Earl Brown, a spokesman for the U.S. Central Command. 

“We have no interest in engaging in a new conflict in the Middle East,” Reuters quoted Brown as saying. 

He added, “We will defend our interests, but a war with Iran is not in our strategic interest, nor in the best interest of the international community.”