IRAN DENIES INVOLVEMENT IN DRONE ATTACK AFTER BIDEN VOWS REVENGE

Mon 29 January 2024:

Tehran has denied any involvement in a drone strike that killed three US troops at a base in Jordan, near the border with Syria, after US President Joe Biden blamed Iran-backed militia and vowed revenge.

“As we have clearly stated before, the resistance groups in the region are responding [to] the war crimes and genocide of the child-killing Zionist regime and… they do not take orders from the Islamic Republic of Iran,” Iranian Ministry of Foreign Affairs spokesman Nasser Kanaani was quoted saying by IRNA on Monday.

THREE US SERVICE MEMBERS KILLED IN JORDAN DRONE ATTACK, SAYS BIDEN

“These groups decide and act based on their own principles and priorities as well as the interests of their country and people.”

Kanaani said claims of Iranian involvement were motivated by “specific political goals to reverse the realities of the region” and were “influenced by third parties, including the child-killing Zionist regime”.

Iran’s mission to the United Nations also said in a statement carried by IRNA that Tehran had “no connection and had nothing to do” with the attack, which it blamed on “conflict between US forces and resistance groups in the region”.

The attack took place in northeast Jordan, near the Syrian border.Google Earth

The Islamic Resistance in Iraq, an umbrella organisation of Iran-backed armed groups, has claimed responsibility for the attack.

The drone strike on Tower 22, a logistics support base, marked the first loss of American life by enemy fire since the start of the war in Gaza.

Biden, who has staunchly backed Israel’s war in Gaza, condemned the “despicable and wholly unjust attack” and has vowed to hold all those responsible “to account at a time and in a manner [of] our choosing”.

Washington has accused Iranian-backed groups of carrying out dozens of attacks on US military installations in Iraq and Syria since the start of the war.

Saturday’s unmanned aerial drone attack on the military outpost Tower 22 was the first deadly strike against US forces since the Israel-Hamas war erupted in October and sent shock waves throughout the Middle East.

Responsibility for the strike was claimed by the Iranian-backed umbrella group Islamic Resistance, which have long been trying to drive the US troops out of Iraq and Syria, and have used the war in Gaza as the backdrop to intensify these efforts and broaden the battleground.

Biden on Sunday blasted the attack as “despicable and wholly unjust” — and warned, “We shall respond.”

US Secretary of Defense Lloyd Austin echoed the president’s warning.

“The President and I will not tolerate attacks on American forces, and we will take all necessary actions to defend the United States, our troops and our interests,” he said in a statement.

Biden said in an earlier release from the White House, “While we are still gathering the facts of this attack, we know it was carried out by radical Iran-backed militant groups operating in Syria and Iran.

“The three American service members we lost were patriots in the highest sense,” he said. “ We will carry on their commitment to fight terrorism. And have no doubt — we will hold all those responsible to account at a time and in a manner [of] our choosing.”

Three US service members were killed following a drone attack on Saturday night in northeast Jordan.AP

The US president later reiterated his vow to retaliate against the terrorists, telling supporters at a campaign rally at a church in South Carolina, “We had a tough day in the Middle East.

“We lost three brave souls,” Biden said.

“We shall respond.”

The White House said Sunday that Biden and Vice President Kamala Harris “were briefed by their national security team this afternoon on the latest regarding the attack on U.S. service members and coalition partners.

“Participants included National Security Advisor Jake Sullivan, Secretary Antony Blinken, Secretary Lloyd J. Austin III, Chairman CQ Brown, Director Avril Haines, Director Bill Burns, Ambassador Linda Thomas Greenfield, Principal Deputy National Security Advisor Jon Finer, and Chief of Staff Jeff Zients.”

The identity of the slain and injured soldiers will not be released until their families have been notified, US officials said.

US forces have faced a near-daily barrage of drone and missile strikes in Iraq and Syria since the 7 October attack on Israel by Hamas. But this incident draws the US much closer to a direct conflict with Iran, an outcome both sides insist they wish to avoid, but may now be unable to prevent as the incidents proliferate and escalate in impact.

SOURCE: INDEPENDENT PRESS AND NEWS AGENCIES

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