Pentagon says it’s not seeking war with Iran after Jordan attack by militants
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The Jan 28 attack on US troops in Jordan was the first deadly strike against US forces since the Israel-Hamas war erupted in October 2023.
PHOTO: AFP
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WASHINGTON – US Defence Secretary Lloyd Austin vowed on Jan 29 that the United States would take “all necessary actions” to defend its troops after a deadly drone attack by Iran-backed militants
The attack on Jan 28 killed three US soldiers and wounded more than 40 troops.
It was the first deadly strike against US forces since the Israel-Hamas war erupted in October,
“Let me start with my outrage and sorrow (for) the deaths of three brave US troops in Jordan and for the other troops who were wounded,” Mr Austin said at the Pentagon.
“The President and I will not tolerate attacks on US forces, and we will take all necessary actions to defend the US and our troops,” he added at the start of a meeting with Nato secretary-general Jens Stoltenberg at the Pentagon.
US Secretary of State Antony Blinken said: “As the President said yesterday, we will respond and that response could be multi-levelled, come in stages and be sustained over time.”
But officials across the Biden administration said they did not want the situation to escalate. The Pentagon suggested Iran did not want a war either.
“We certainly don’t seek a war and, frankly, we don’t see Iran wanting to seek a war with the United States,” Pentagon spokeswoman Sabrina Singh told reporters. And White House national security spokesman John Kirby said: “We are not seeking a conflict with the regime in the military way.”
He added that Mr Biden was working his way through response options.
Washington is trying to determine exactly why the nearly 350 troops at the base in Jordan, known as Tower 22, were unable to stop the attack drone. Two officials said a US drone was approaching the base around the same time the attack drone was incoming.
One of the officials said the attack drone was also flying low, a factor that may have contributed to it being missed by base defences.
The US military released the names of the victims, the youngest of which was Army Reserve specialist Breonna Alexsondria Moffett, 23.
US troops have been attacked more than 150 times in Iraq, Syria and Jordan, as well as on warships in the Red Sea, where Houthi fighters in Yemen have been firing
The attacks are piling political pressure on President Biden to strike directly against Iran, a move he has been reluctant to do out of fear of igniting a broader war.
Mr Biden met Mr Austin and other members of his national security team in the White House Situation Room on the morning of Jan 29 to discuss the latest developments regarding the attack, the White House said.
The President’s options could range anywhere from targeting Iranian forces outside to even inside Iran, or opting for a more cautious retaliatory attack solely against the Iran-backed militants responsible, experts say.
Mr Stoltenberg said: “Iran continues to destabilise the region, this includes backing terrorists who attack our ships in the Red Sea.”
Conflict spreading
The Jordan attack, and any potential US response, will likely fan fears of wider conflict in the Middle East, where war broke out in Gaza after Palestinian Islamist group Hamas’ raid on Israel on Oct 7, which killed 1,200 people.
Israel’s subsequent assault on Gaza has killed more than 26,000 Palestinians, according to the local Health Ministry.
The US has already retaliated in Iraq, Syria and Yemen in response to previous attacks by Iran-backed groups.
Ms Singh said the weekend attacks had the “footprints” of the Kataib Hezbollah, an Iran-aligned armed group, but the Pentagon had not yet made a final assessment.
British Prime Minister Rishi Sunak said on Jan 29 he was concerned about tensions in the Middle East and urged Iran to de-escalate.
Iran’s minister of intelligence said that regional armed groups aligned with Teheran respond to “American aggressors” at their own discretion.
Experts have cautioned that any strikes against Iranian forces inside Iran could force Teheran to respond forcefully, escalating the situation in a way that could drag the US into a major Middle East war. REUTERS
