President Joe Biden told the press Jan. 30 that he has decided on his response to last week’s killing of three American servicemen in Jordan, but he won’t announce what that is. According to an ABC News report, Biden was asked as he left the White House for Florida: “Have you made a decision how you’ll respond to the attack?” Biden was asked. “Yes,” he said, but wouldn’t provide further details. Asked if this upcoming response will actually deter such attacks, he said, “we’ll see.”
Biden 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.” Asked if Iran was responsible for the attack, Biden said: “I do hold them responsible in that they’re supplying the weapons to the people who did it.”
Secretary of State Blinken on Jan. 29 said the U.S. response “could be multi-leveled, come in stages, and be sustained over time.”
On Jan. 29, National Security Council spokesperson John Kirby said at a White House press briefing: “We are not seeking a conflict with the regime in the military way. We’re not looking to escalate here. This attack over the weekend was escalatory, make no mistake about it. And it requires a response.… There’s no easy answer here,” Kirby told reporters.
