President Joe Biden said on Tuesday that he has made a decision on how the United States will respond to the drone attack that killed three U.S. soldiers and injured dozens of others at a base in northeast Jordan, by Iran-backed militants. The attack was the first U.S. deaths by Iranian-back militant groups in months since the Israel-Hamas war began Oct. 7.

Biden was asked leaving the White House as headed for fundraisers in Florida on Tuesday morning: “Have you made a decision how you’ll respond to the attack,” the President replied: “Yes.”  When asked if this upcoming response will actually deter them, Biden said, “we’ll see.”  Thus far, retaliatory strikes by the U.S. have not deterred any of the Iranian-backed groups in the region.

Biden’s remarks came after he vowed to retaliate and “hold all those responsible to account at a time and in a manner [of] our choosing” for the deadly attack, which injured more than 30 soldiers.  The President reiterated that the U.S. is not looking for a “wider war in the Middle East,” explaining, “that’s not what I’m looking for.” When asked if he holds Iran responsible for the attack, the president said he does “in the sense that they’re supplying the weapons to the people who did it.”

Iran’s mission to the United Nations denied the country’s involvement in the drone strike, saying in a statement published by Reuters: “Iran had no connection and had nothing to do with the attack on the U.S. base. There is a conflict between U.S. forces and resistance groups in the region, which reciprocate retaliatory attacks.”

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