Pompeo says we do not seek war with Iran but will not stand by

A U.S. air strike in Baghdad that killed a top Iranian commander aimed to disrupt an "imminent attack" that would have endangered Americans in the Middle East, U.S. Secretary of State Mike Pompeo said in television interviews on Friday.

Pompeo, in interviews on Fox News and CNN, declined to discuss many details of the alleged threat but said it was "an intelligence based assessment" that drove the U.S. decision to target Qassem Soleimani, the commander of Iran's elite Quds Force.

"He was actively plotting in the region to take actions -- a big action as he described it -- that would have put dozens if not hundreds of American lives at risk. We know it was imminent," Pompeo told CNN.

"These were threats that were located in the region," Pompeo added. "Last night was the time that we needed to strike to make sure that this imminent attack ... was disrupted."

Iran has threatened to retaliate after the overnight U.S. air strike against the second most powerful figure in Iran that marked a dramatic escalation in the Iran-U.S. conflict in the Middle East.

Pompeo said the United States remains committed to de-escalation with Iran but will defend itself. He added that the United States has fortified its assets in the region and is prepared for any possible retaliation, including a cyberattack.

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In each call, Pompeo said the U.S. is committed to de-escalating tensions in the Middle East that have soared since an Iranian-backed militia killed an American contractor and the U.S. responded with strikes against it. That set off violent pro-Iran protests outside the U.S. Embassy in Baghdad.

Iran's supreme leader has vowed "harsh retaliation" for the latest U.S. airstrike.

The U.S. confirmed Thursday that it carried out a strike that killed Soleimani, commander of the Iranian Revolutionary Guards Corps' Quds Force.

The Pentagon accused Soleimani of planning to carry out attacks on U.S. diplomats and service members in Iraq and the region, saying the slain leader was responsible for the deaths of hundreds of American and coalition service members.

The attack came amid heightened Iranian tensions with the U.S. which culminated with the storming of the U.S. Embassy compound by Iraqis on Tuesday.