Iran has rejected claims that it was behind the drone strike that killed three American servicemen at a facility in Jordan, close to the Syrian border.
The United States placed the blame on "radical Iranian-backed militant groups" for the assault, which wounded scores of people. US President Joe Biden threatened retaliation, saying, "We shall respond."
Since the conflict in Gaza broke out on October 7, 2023, when Hamas attacked Israel, this is the first strike that has killed US forces in the area. Previous assaults on US bases in the area did not result in casualties up until Sunday, January 28.
Denying Claims
According to BBC, the Islamic Resistance in Iraq has denied any involvement in the incident.
Several Iraqi militias with ties to Iran formed the umbrella organization in late 2023. In the last several weeks, it has also claimed responsibility for strikes on US soldiers, but not this time.
The organization announced their strikes in a statement, claiming they had hit three US sites in Jordan and Syria (Shaddadi, Rukban, and Tanf) and an Israeli oil plant in the Mediterranean.
A statement issued by the Iraqi government denounced the assault and urged a stop to the escalating violence in the region, BBC reported. Iraqi government spokesperson Bassem al-Awadi expressed the country's willingness to work with other nations to set basic principles that would limit the spread of violence and its regional consequences.
Both the US and Britain accused Iran of providing assistance to the terrorist organizations that were implicated in the attack, but Iran also disputed the claim.
Iranian foreign ministry spokesperson Nasser Kanaani said that Tehran was not meddling with resistance organizations' decisions regarding the defense of Palestinians or their own nations.
Biden's Response
Biden was informed about the incident on Sunday morning by US Defence Secretary Lloyd Austin and other authorities, according to the White House.
"Jill and I join the families and friends of our fallen - and Americans across the country - in grieving the loss of these warriors in this despicable and wholly unjust attack," Biden said in a press release.
Officials are now in the process of notifying the relatives of the fallen and wounded personnel, but the identities of those individuals have not been revealed.
While in South Carolina, Biden made an appearance in the banquet hall of a Baptist church and asked for a moment of silence.
"We had a tough day last night in the Middle East. We lost three brave souls in an attack on one of our bases," he stated. Soon after the pause, Biden said, "And we shall respond."
According to US authorities, a total of 34 service members are now being assessed for potential traumatic brain injuries. A portion of the wounded troops have been medically removed from the site to get further care.
They also claimed that the drone hit residential areas on the base, which, if true, would account for a larger death toll.
