Pentagon: potential for Iran attacks 'put on hold'

Acting U.S. Defense Secretary Patrick Shanahan said that while threats from Iran in the Middle East remained high, deterrence measures taken by the Pentagon had “put on hold” the potential for attacks on Americans.

"There haven’t been any attacks on Americans. I would consider that a hold," Shanahan told reporters.

"That doesn’t mean that the threats that we’ve previously identified have gone away. Our prudent response, I think, has given the Iranians time to recalculate," Reuters cited him as saying.

"I just hope Iran is listening. We’re in the region to address many things, but it is not to go to war with Iran," Shanahan said earlier on Tuesday.

He added that it was a period where the threat remained high and the focus was on making sure there was "no miscalculations by the Iranians.'