The Pentagon on Thursday took a step back from allegations of Iranian involvement in Iraq conflict, saying that it will not seek any pretext for a war with Iran.

Defense Secretary Robert Gates told reporters that the United States is not planning a war with Iran and "we are not looking for an excuse."

He repeated the new position of U.S. President George W. Bush, who said Thursday that his government does not know whether the Iranian leaders are directly involved in helping Iraqi insurgents.

But Gates said he assumes that the Iranian leadership know about the activities of the Quds, the elite Iranian paramilitary unit accused by the United States of providing bombs to Iraqi insurgents.

His comments came as the Bush administration is backing away from previous assertions that the Iranian leadership is directly involved in arming Iraqi insurgents.

Source: Xinhua