Iranian officials warned Wednesday that the country would respond “firmly” to any U.S. threat, as the Biden administration considers its response to a weekend drone attack that killed three U.S. soldiers in Jordan.
“The Islamic Republic will firmly respond to any attack against the country, its interests and people under any pretext,” Iranian Ambassador to the United Nations Amir Saeed Iravani said on Wednesday, according to the state-run IRNA news agency.
He added that there would be a “strong response” to any possible Iranian retaliation, but did not elaborate, according to the Associated Press.
The Pentagon said the suicide drone attack was carried out by an Iranian-backed militia and targeted Tower 22, a U.S. military base in Jordan, early Sunday morning. Three soldiers serving in the Army Reserve were killed in the accident, and about 40 others were injured.
The attack was the first killing of a U.S. service member since the Israel-Hamas war began in October, increasing pressure on the Biden administration to retaliate against Tehran. U.S. troops have been targeted by Iranian-backed groups more than 160 times since the conflict began in the region, and several Republican lawmakers are urging the White House to take swift and decisive action.
Biden vowed earlier this week that he would respond to the attack “at a time and in a manner of our choosing,” but administration officials have stressed that the United States is not seeking war with Iran or escalation of conflict in the Middle East. I’ve done it.
Iran’s Revolutionary Guards Chief Hossein Salami: “We are hearing threatening words from American officials” said on wednesday, according to the IRNA translation. “You guys have tested us, and we know each other, we will not leave any threats unresolved.”
“We are not post-war, but there is no fear of war,” he added, according to state media.
Qatar-based pan-Arab satellite broadcaster Al Jazeera previously reported that the United States and Iran had exchanged messages in recent days, a charge denied by President Irvani.
“No such messages were exchanged,” he said Wednesday. According to IRNA.
Iran denies involvement in the attack on Jordan and says it did not give direct orders to the militia. The United States alleges that Iran is widely complicit in attacks from proxy forces.
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