"No Need for a Bigger War in the Middle East"
US Official: "Multiple Responses, Not Just One"
U.S. President Joe Biden announced that he has decided on a response to the drone attack by a pro-Iran armed group that killed U.S. troops stationed in Jordan. However, he drew a line on the possibility of escalation, saying, "I do not want a bigger war."
On the 30th (local time), before leaving the White House for an election campaign in Florida, President Biden told reporters that he had decided on a response to the incident.
After the U.S. military base 'Tower 22' in northern Jordan was attacked by drones from a pro-Iran militia on the night of the 27th, killing three U.S. soldiers, President Biden immediately expressed a retaliatory stance and has been considering the method and level of response.
When asked whether Iran was responsible, President Biden said, "I believe Iran is responsible in that it is supplying weapons to the attackers." He also expressed willingness to engage in dialogue with Iran.
However, he dismissed the possibility of escalation. He emphasized, "I do not think a bigger war is necessary in the Middle East," and "That (escalation) is not what I want."
Although a retaliatory policy was announced, the judgment was made that a new front should not be opened with a full-scale war against Iran, following the Ukraine-Russia war and the Israel-Hamas war, especially with the November presidential election approaching. Earlier, the Iranian Ministry of Foreign Affairs also denied involvement and sought to prevent the risk of escalation.
President Biden did not specify the response method, but a U.S. government official made it clear that it would not end with a single airstrike.
John Kirby, National Security Council (NSC) Coordinator for Strategic Communications, said at a briefing that "it is fair to expect that we will respond in an appropriate manner," adding, "We are likely to act in phases. It is not a one-time action but likely multiple actions over time."
He emphasized that the goal is to weaken the pro-Iran armed groups' capability to attack U.S. forces and to send a signal to the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC), which supports these armed groups, that such attacks will not be tolerated.
Coordinator Kirby also said that President Biden has spoken with the families of the deceased soldiers and plans to attend the repatriation ceremony of the remains at Dover Air Force Base in Delaware on the 2nd of next month.
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