{"id":645405,"date":"2019-06-25T18:03:32","date_gmt":"2019-06-25T18:03:32","guid":{"rendered":"
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US President Donald Trump says he is not seeking war with Tehran, as he dispatched two top officials to the Middle East amid heightened tensions.<\/p>\n

The downing of a US surveillance drone on Thursday by Iran\u2019s elite Revolutionary Guards had brought the two foes to the brink of war. Tehran said the drone violated its airspace but Washington insisted it was flying over international waters in the Gulf.<\/p>\n

Trump earlier said that he called off a military strike to retaliate for the downing of the unmanned aircraft out of concern it would have been a disproportionate response.<\/p>\n

\u201cI\u2019m not looking for war,\u201d Trump said on NBC\u2019s Meet the Press programme.<\/p>\n

The US president has indicated that he would also be prepared to seek a deal to bolster Iran\u2019s flagging economy, an apparent move to defuse tensions.<\/p>\n

\u201cI think they want to negotiate. And I think they want to make a deal. And my deal is nuclear. Look, they\u2019re not going to have a nuclear weapon,\u201d Trump said.<\/p>\n

Last year Trump withdrew the US from a 2015 accord between Iran and world powers that curbed Tehran\u2019s nuclear programme in exchange for easing sanctions. Relations in the region have worsened significantly since then.<\/p>\n

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