Mattis emphasizes diplomacy in dealing with Iran US Secretary of Defense James Mattis Statement comes after US ambassador to the UN presented missile fragments and other military gear that she said came from Tehran and had been used against Saudi Arabia.   WASHINGTON, AFP, Dec. 16, 2017  - US Defense Secretary James Mattis said Friday he does not see the need for a stepped-up military posture against Iran, the day after a top diplomat said evidence shows Tehran is supporting Houthi rebels in Yemen. US ambassador to the  United Nations  Nikki Haley on Thursday presented missile fragments and other military gear that she said came from Iran and had been used against US ally Saudi Arabia. When asked if he thought such evidence warranted an emboldened or expanded military response from the US, Mattis said: “Not militarily, no.” “It’s the reason Ambassador Haley was there and not one of our generals,” he told Pentagon reporters. “This is a dip...