WASHINGTON, April 14. /TASS/. Israel assured Washington that it does not seek any significant escalation with Iran and only seeks to defend itself, a high-ranking US Administration official said.

"I believe that Israel made it clear that it does not seek a significant escalation with Iran. This is not what they want. All they want is to defend and protect themselves," he said during a phone briefing.

The US, in turn, "seeks to de-escalate the regional tension," the official said.

"We do not wat a wider regional conflict," he continued.

According to the official, the US Administration believes that Israel should "scrupulously calculate its next steps" towards Iran.