Biden weighs response to attack in Jordan, but ‘not looking for war with Iran’
US defence chief Lloyd Austin meets Nato secretary-general Jens Stoltenberg at the Pentagon
29 January 2024 - 23:44
byIdrees Ali and Phil Stewart
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US President Joe Biden gives a speech in the White House, Washington, the US, January 22 2024. Picture: EVELYN HOCKSTEIN/REUTERS
Washington — US defence secretary Lloyd Austin on Monday vowed that the US would take “all necessary actions” to defend its troops after a drone attack by Iran-backed militants struck a base in Jordan, while the White House said the US was weighing its options but was not seeking a war with Iran.
Three US service members were killed and dozens more were wounded in the attack on a base in Jordan on Sunday. The attack marks a major escalation in tensions that have engulfed the Middle East since the start of the Israel-Hamas war.
“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,” 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,” Austin added at the start of meeting with Nato secretary-general Jens Stoltenberg at the Pentagon.
White House national security spokesperson John Kirby told reporters at the White House that US President Joe Biden was weighing his options for responding. “We are not seeking a war with Iran,” he said.
The US is trying to determine exactly why the nearly 350 troops at the base in Jordan, known as Tower 22, were unable to stop the drone.
Two officials said a US drone was approaching the base at about the same time the attack drone was incoming. One of the officials said the attack drone was also flying low, factors that may have contributed to it being missed by base defences.
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 drones and missiles at them.
The attacks are piling political pressure on Biden to deal a blow directly against Iran, a step he has been reluctant to take out of fear of igniting a broader war.
Biden met Austin and other members of his national security team in the White House situation room on Monday morning to discuss the latest developments regarding the attack, the White House said.
The president’s options could range 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 said.
“Iran continues to destabilise the region, this includes backing terrorists who attack our ships in the Red Sea,” Stoltenberg said.
At least 34 personnel were injured in the Jordan attack, but that number is expected to change as more people seek care. Eight personnel were evacuated from Jordan for higher-level care, but are in stable condition.
Conflicts spreading
The attack, and any potential US response, is likely to fan fears of wider conflict in the Middle East, where war broke out in Gaza after Palestinian Islamist group Hamas’ attack on Israel on October 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.
“He’s weighing the options before him,” Kirby told reporters. “As he said yesterday, we will respond. We’ll do that on our schedule and our time and we’ll do it in the manner of the president’s choosing as commander in chief.
“We’ll also do it fully cognisant of the fact that these groups, backed by Tehran, have just taken the lives of American troops,” Kirby said, adding that the US was not seeking to escalate and not looking for a war with Iran.
British Prime Minister Rishi Sunak said on Monday 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 Tehran respond to “American aggressors” at their own discretion.
Experts have cautioned that any strikes against Iranian forces inside Iran could force Tehran to respond forcefully, escalating the situation in a way that could drag the US into a major Middle East war.
Support our award-winning journalism. The Premium package (digital only) is R30 for the first month and thereafter you pay R129 p/m now ad-free for all subscribers.
Biden weighs response to attack in Jordan, but ‘not looking for war with Iran’
US defence chief Lloyd Austin meets Nato secretary-general Jens Stoltenberg at the Pentagon
Washington — US defence secretary Lloyd Austin on Monday vowed that the US would take “all necessary actions” to defend its troops after a drone attack by Iran-backed militants struck a base in Jordan, while the White House said the US was weighing its options but was not seeking a war with Iran.
Three US service members were killed and dozens more were wounded in the attack on a base in Jordan on Sunday. The attack marks a major escalation in tensions that have engulfed the Middle East since the start of the Israel-Hamas war.
“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,” 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,” Austin added at the start of meeting with Nato secretary-general Jens Stoltenberg at the Pentagon.
White House national security spokesperson John Kirby told reporters at the White House that US President Joe Biden was weighing his options for responding. “We are not seeking a war with Iran,” he said.
The US is trying to determine exactly why the nearly 350 troops at the base in Jordan, known as Tower 22, were unable to stop the drone.
Two officials said a US drone was approaching the base at about the same time the attack drone was incoming. One of the officials said the attack drone was also flying low, factors that may have contributed to it being missed by base defences.
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 drones and missiles at them.
The attacks are piling political pressure on Biden to deal a blow directly against Iran, a step he has been reluctant to take out of fear of igniting a broader war.
Biden met Austin and other members of his national security team in the White House situation room on Monday morning to discuss the latest developments regarding the attack, the White House said.
The president’s options could range 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 said.
“Iran continues to destabilise the region, this includes backing terrorists who attack our ships in the Red Sea,” Stoltenberg said.
At least 34 personnel were injured in the Jordan attack, but that number is expected to change as more people seek care. Eight personnel were evacuated from Jordan for higher-level care, but are in stable condition.
Conflicts spreading
The attack, and any potential US response, is likely to fan fears of wider conflict in the Middle East, where war broke out in Gaza after Palestinian Islamist group Hamas’ attack on Israel on October 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.
“He’s weighing the options before him,” Kirby told reporters. “As he said yesterday, we will respond. We’ll do that on our schedule and our time and we’ll do it in the manner of the president’s choosing as commander in chief.
“We’ll also do it fully cognisant of the fact that these groups, backed by Tehran, have just taken the lives of American troops,” Kirby said, adding that the US was not seeking to escalate and not looking for a war with Iran.
British Prime Minister Rishi Sunak said on Monday 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 Tehran respond to “American aggressors” at their own discretion.
Experts have cautioned that any strikes against Iranian forces inside Iran could force Tehran to respond forcefully, escalating the situation in a way that could drag the US into a major Middle East war.
Reuters
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