President
Joe Biden says he has decided how the US will respond to a drone strike that
killed three American troops in Jordan at the weekend.
Mr Biden did not
elaborate in his remarks at the White House, but added: "I don't think we
need a wider war in the Middle East."
An Iran-backed
militia group has claimed responsibility for the attack at a US military base.
Dozens more were
injured in Sunday's strike near the Syrian border.
The drone strike was
the first time US soldiers were killed by enemy fire in the Middle East since
the Israel Gaza war erupted on 7 October.
Iran has denied any
involvement in the attack.
Asked by reporters
on Tuesday morning if he had decided how to respond to the attack, Mr Biden
said: "Yes."
He was also asked if
Iran should be blamed. "I do hold them [Iran] responsible in the sense
that they're supplying the weapons to the people who did it," he said.
Watch: "I'm
still in shock," says mother of US solider killed in drone attack.
National
Security Council spokesperson John Kirby said the US might take a "tiered
approach" in its response.
"Not just a
single action, but potentially multiple actions... over a period of time,"
he told reporters on board Air Force One for Mr Biden's trip to attend election
fundraisers in Florida.
"The guiding
principle is making sure that we continue to degrade the kinds of capabilities
that these groups have at their disposal to use against our troops and our
facilities," he said.
Mr Kirby added:
"The president will do what he has to do to protect our troops and our
facilities and to look after our national security."
The president has a
number of options, including retaliatory strikes on Iran-allied bases and
commanders.
The US could also
target senior commanders of Iran's Islamic Revolution Guard Corps in Iraq or
Syria.
The overnight attack
targeted a US military base known as Tower 22 in north-eastern Jordan.
About 350 US forces
are stationed at the base, which is focused on supporting the coalition to
defeat the Islamic State, according to US Central Command.
The enemy drone
struck while an American drone was returning to the base from a mission.
But because of that,
there was no warning for troops who were reportedly still in their sleeping
quarters.
The strike killed
Sgt William Jerome Rivers, 46, Specialist Kennedy Ladon Sanders, 24, and
Specialist Breonna Alexsondria Moffett, 23. More than 40 others were wounded,
including 34 people who officials say were evaluated for possible traumatic
brain injuries.
In recent months,
several US bases in the Middle East have been attacked by militias trained,
funded and equipped by Iran.
The Islamic
Resistance in Iraq has claimed it was responsible for Sunday's strike.
The group - which is
made up of several Iran-affiliated militias operating in Iraq - said it
targeted three US bases in Syria: Shaddadi, Tanf and Rukban.
It has claimed
responsibility for other attacks against US forces in recent weeks.
The Iraqi government
has condemned the strike and called for "an end to the cycle of
violence" in the Middle East.
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