Following the deadly attack by pro-Iranian militias on US military personnel in Jordan, the US government made it clear that it would not pursue an escalation with Iran. “We are not looking for a war with Iran. We do not seek conflict with the regime through military means,” John Kirby, communications director of the National Security Council, said in Washington on Monday (see video above).
The US would “respond appropriately to these attacks,” Kirby also announced. On Sunday, three US soldiers were killed in a drone strike by pro-Iranian militias in Jordan, near the Syrian border. More than 40 others were injured on Monday, according to information from the Pentagon.
US President Joe Biden blamed “radical Iranian-backed militant groups” for the attack and threatened retaliation. Pro-Iranian militias in Iraq claimed responsibility for the attack, saying they attacked four US military bases on Sunday morning, including three in Syria. Northeast Jordan borders both Syria and Iraq. “We know Iran is behind this,” Pentagon spokeswoman Sabrina Singh said. Iran is responsible because it finances these groups that operated in Iraq and Syria and carried out attacks on American soldiers.
According to the White House, Biden met with his crisis team on both Sunday and Monday in the Situation Room, the operations center in the West Wing of the White House. Asked about possible retaliation, Kirby said: The U.S. would follow its own timetable and act in a manner that the president, as commander in chief, deems appropriate.
Almost daily attacks by pro-Iranian militias
Since the war in Gaza between Israel and the Islamist Hamas began last October, pro-Iranian militias have carried out almost daily attacks on US military bases in Iraq and Syria. The US government responded with air strikes in both countries.
Moreover, the Yemeni Houthis – in solidarity with Hamas – repeatedly attack cargo ships in the Red Sea. In response, the US and Britain, with the support of allies, launched military strikes against the Iranian-backed militia in Yemen. Kirby emphasized that U.S. soldiers in the region were conducting a mission aimed at supporting partners in the fight against Islamic State (IS). The mission has been around for a long time and has nothing to do with Israel.
The Islamic Resistance in Iraq, an umbrella organization of hardline militant groups backed by Iran, claimed responsibility for attacks on three bases, including one on the Jordan-Syrian border. However, Iran’s mission to the United Nations said the government in Tehran was not involved in the attack on three US soldiers in northeastern Jordan, near the Syrian border.
According to American media, it is the first time since the start of the Gaza war that American soldiers have been killed in an enemy attack in the Middle East. The security situation across the region is tense due to the war that started with the Islamist Hamas attack on Israel on October 7. The US has repeatedly stressed that it fears the conflict in the Middle East could escalate into a regional war.
Source: Krone
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