After three American troops were killed in an overnight strike in northeast Jordan near the Syrian border, United States is under pressure to 'respond' in the same tone.
Though President Joe Biden blamed the Iran for the fatalities after months of strikes by militants against US forces amid the Middle East crisis.
While speaking, in an interview on NBC television in US, national security council spokesperson John Kirby said US is not looking for a war with Iran.
"We are not looking for a war with Iran. We are not looking to escalate the conflict in the region. Obviously, these attacks keep coming. We’ll keep looking at the options. I can’t speak for the Supreme Leader or what he wants or he doesn’t want. I can tell you what we want. What we want is a stable, secure, prosperous Middle East, and we want these attacks to stop," he said.
Meanwhile, "Islamic Resistance in Iraq" claimed the responsibility for the attacks on three US bases, including one on the Jordan-Syria border. Iraq's government is backed by parties and militias close to Iran.
Though US forces in the Middle East have been attacked even before since Israel-Hamas war erupted in October.
Biden had said that United States would respond to the strikes. However, Iran has denied that it was behind the attacks, saying it "was not involved in the decision making of resistance groups".
Meanwhile, reportedly, officials from Israel, the US, Egypt and Qatar have agreed on a new hostage deal. The deal framework will include phased pauses in the Israel-Gaza war and freeing of remaining hostages.
UK Prime Minister Rishi Sunak has urged Iran to de-escalate tensions in the Middle East. "We are concerned and would urge Iran to continue to de-escalate tensions in the region," he said.
