House Speaker Pelosi calls on US to de-escalate tensions with Iran

The US House of Representatives’ Speaker Nancy Pelosi on Thursday called for the United States to de-escalate tensions with Iran, after top lawmakers attended a White House briefing on the downing of an American drone by Tehran.

“It is essential that we remain fully engaged with our allies, recognize that we are not dealing with a responsible adversary and do everything in our power to de-escalate,” Pelosi, the top Democrat in Congress, said in a statement.

“This is a dangerous, high-tension situation that requires a strong, smart and strategic, not reckless, approach,” she added.

Does not seek war, write Iran to UN chief

Iran’s ambassador to the United Nations called on Thursday for the international community to demand the United States end its “unlawful and destabilizing measures” in the Gulf, saying Tehran did not seek war but would act to secure its territory.

Ambassador Majid Takht Ravanchi, in a letter to UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres, said Iranian forces targeted an unmanned US aircraft on Thursday when “despite repeated radio warnings, it entered into the Iranian airspace.”

The US said the drone was in international airspace.