Al-Monitor| Bryant Harris: The United States� top diplomat and its lead civilian and military defense officials yesterday failed to assuage lawmakers� concerns that the country may be inadvertently hurtling toward war with Iran.

�I still don�t have a clear idea of what the administration�s objectives are,� House Armed Services Committee Chairman Adam Smith, D-Wash., told reporters after today�s briefing with Secretary of State Mike Pompeo, acting Defense Secretary Patrick Shanahan and Joint Chiefs Chairman Joseph Dunford. �They have said over and over again that regime change is not the objective. What is the maximum pressure campaign trying to achieve?�

Ahead of the hearing, Pompeo tweeted that he was headed to Capitol Hill for a �serious discussion� about �40 years of unprovoked Iranian aggression.� But Democrats had little patience for it: Smith said the secretary of state launched a �very lengthy political argument� for 10 minutes before the Washington Democrat felt compelled to cut him off.

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