Biden says has decided how to respond to deadly raid on Jordan-based US forces

Asked by reporters whether he has decided how to respond, Biden said, “Yes”, but declined to provide further details.

Biden had warned in a statement Sunday that the US will respond in a “time and manner of our choosing” as he weighs how to deter future attacks without escalating the conflict.

Biden stressed Tuesday as he prepared to depart for a fundraising swing in south Florida that he holds Iran responsible for the attack.

“I do hold them responsible in the sense that they’re supplying the weapons to the people who did it,” he added.

He reiterated that he is hoping to deter a broader conflict in the region, stating, “I don’t think we need a wider war in the Middle East. That’s not what I’m looking for.”

US officials said on Monday that the American response was likely to be more powerful than previous US strikes in Iraq and Syria against Iranian interests, but they have suggested it is unlikely the US will strike within Iran.

Tehran on Monday once again stressed that regional resistance groups do not take orders from Iran, nor does the Islamic Republic have a role in their decisions to carry out retaliatory operations in defense of Palestine.

“Iran is not involved in the resistance groups’ decisions about how to support the Palestinian people or defend themselves and the people of their countries in the face of any aggression and occupation,” Foreign Ministry Spokesman Nasser Kanaani stated.

He cautioned that leveling baseless accusations against Iran is a projection and a conspiracy by those who see their interests in dragging the US feet in a new conflict in the region to cover up their own problems.

“Iran monitors the developments in the region with readiness and vigilance and the responsibility for the consequences of provocative accusations against Iran rests with the perpetrators of such baseless claims,” he added.