Secretary of State Antony Blinken said the United States will respond decisively to the attacks that killed three American soldiers in Jordan and warned that the retaliation could be prolonged and multi-staged.
"We will respond, and that response could be multileveled, come in stages and be sustained over time," Blinken said at the State Department in a joint press conference with NATO Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg.
Blinken's comments come after a suicide drone attack last Sunday killed three US soldiers and wounded at least 34 others at a military facility in Jordan, near the borders with Syria and Iraq.
A group calling itself the "Islamic Resistance in Iraq" claimed responsibility for the attack. The United States accused Iran of being involved in the suicide attack, and the Iranian regime denied the accusations.
"The president has been crystal clear. We will respond decisively to any aggression. And we will hold responsible the people who attacked our troops. We will do so at a time and a place of our choosing," added Blinken, who gave the press conference as the Biden Administration faces pressure to respond to attacks allegedly supported by Iran at a time of maximum tension in the Middle East.
The state secretary also commented that the Middle East faces its most dangerous and unstable moment since at least 1973, a situation that represents a direct danger to the United States and its troops.
"I would argue that we've not seen a situation as dangerous as the one we're facing now across the region since at least 1973. And arguably, even before that, and that is the environment in which we're operating," Blinken said.
NEW - Blinken on Middle East: "We have not seen a situation as dangerous as the one we're facing now across the region since at least 1973."pic.twitter.com/syTfh3mROb
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