After three American troops were killed in northeast Jordan near the Syrian border, United States President Joe Biden on Tuesday said he has decided on how to respond to the attack.
He was speaking to the reporters as he left the White House on a campaign trip to Florida. Reportedly, Biden had made the decision after consulations with top advisers at the White House.
Though Biden did not elaborate on the decision, he said the US does not need a wider war in the Middle East.
On Monday, national security council spokesperson John Kirby, in an interview on NBC television, said that the US is not looking for a war with Iran.
"We are not looking for a war with Iran. We are not looking to escalate the conflict in the region. Obviously, these attacks keep coming. We’ll keep looking at the options. I can’t speak for the Supreme Leader or what he wants or he doesn’t want. I can tell you what we want. What we want is a stable, secure, prosperous Middle East, and we want these attacks to stop," he said.
After the Jordan strikes, Biden had said that the US would respond to the strikes. He has been under immense pressure from the opposition for retaliatory strike as well. However, the nature and the time of the response is unclear so far.
Three US soldiers were killed and at least 34 were wounded in the drone attack by Iran-backed militants. "Islamic Resistance in Iraq" claimed the responsibility for the attacks. However, Iran denied its involvement behind the attacks and said "was not involved in the decision making of resistance groups".
