Pentagon has 'no definitive cause' of Beirut blast

The Pentagon continued to distance itself from President Donald Trump's comments as late as Wednesday that the massive explosion in Beruit earlier in the week may have been a deliberate attack.

"I would just state that the situation has been fast evolving and that on Tuesday and Wednesday we saw different information come to light," said Pentagon spokesman Jonathan Hoffman.

He went on to say, "We've reached no definitive cause for the explosion and that information is still coming and we're going to continue to assess it."

Investigators probing the deadly blast are focused on possible negligence in the storage of tons of ammonium nitrate, a highly explosive fertilizer, in a waterfront warehouse.

On Tuesday, Trump called the explosion a “terrible attack” and said American generals told him it was likely caused by a bomb.

Defense Secretary Mark Esper contradicted the president Wednesday, saying most people believe the explosion “was an accident, as reported."

Thursday, Hoffman also defended Trump's appointment of retired Brig. Gen. Anthony Tata to a job performing the duties of the deputy undersecretary for defense policy, amid ongoing furor over offensive remarks Tata made, including about Islam.

Last week the Senate canceled a hearing on Tata's nomination to become defense undersecretary for policy, the third-highest civilian post at the Pentagon.

Tata withdrew his name from consideration for the undersecretary job over the weekend, and was then appointed by Trump to serve in the deputy's post.

"This is just a simple delegation that allows an individual to serve, performing many of those duties," Hoffman said.

"But it is not in an acting role. He does not have all the statutory responsibilities of that," he said.

Hoffman also expressed optimism that the U.S. agreement with the Taliban in February can pave the way toward peace in Afghanistan, although he declined to say if any addition U.S. troop withdrawals is planned.

Washington has been pushing for an early start to intra-Afghan negotiations that have repeatedly been delayed since the Taliban accord was reached.