Defense Secretary Lloyd J. Austin III on Thursday stopped short of blaming Iran for attacks that killed three U.S. soldiers in Jordan on Sunday, but said Tehran trained and funded the militia groups that targeted American troops and merchant ships in the Middle East.
Mr. Austin, in a rare show of bravery, continued the Biden administration’s promises of retaliation. Asked why the administration was predicting a days-long campaign of retaliation, Mr. Austin said the Iran-backed militias “have great capabilities.”
He paused and added, “I have a lot more.”
President Biden has promised that the United States will respond to Sunday’s attacks on a remote base of American troops in Jordan. Those killed were Sgt. William Jerome Rivers, 46, of Carrollton, Georgia; Specialist Kennedy Ladon Sanders, 24, of Waycross, Georgia; and specialist Breonna Alexsondria Moffett, 23, of Savannah, Georgia. The Pentagon says 40 American soldiers were injured.
Biden administration officials say the drone strike crossed a red line and that there is no way the president will not respond.
Mr Austin reiterated this during a press conference on Thursday. “We will respond when we decide, where we decide and how we decide,” he said.
Iran has signaled that it will not escalate tensions with the US. The head of Iran’s Revolutionary Guard said on Wednesday that Tehran was “not looking for war.” And Kataib Hezbollah, the Iran-backed militia that American officials say is responsible for the attack in Jordan, has said it will halt its military operations in Iraq, where it operates.
A statement from the group said it was under pressure from Iran and Iraq to stop attacks on US troops.
The head of the Revolutionary Guard also warned that Iran was ready to react in the event of an attack.
“They have tested us and we know each other – we will not leave any threat unanswered,” General Hossein Salami, the commander-in-chief of the powerful military organization, was quoted as saying by Iranian state news media.
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2024-02-01 18:55:59
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