Iran denies it was behind deaths of US servicemen in Jordan

Tehran was not involved in the drone attack on a US base in Jordan which left three service members dead and more than 30 wounded, Iranian Foreign Ministry spokesman Nasser Kanaani said on Monday. 

The Islamic Resistance in Iraq – an umbrella group for Islamist Shia militias – claimed responsibility for the strike on the outpost known as Tower 22, not far from the border with Jordanian-Syrian border.

President Joe Biden said the attack was carried out by “radical Iran-backed militant groups,” while many US politicians blamed Tehran directly. UK Foreign Minister David Cameron similarly pointed to the Islamic Republic, urging it to “de-escalate in the region.”

“As we have clearly stated before, the resistance groups in the region are responding the war crimes and genocide,” Kanaani said. “They do not take orders from the Islamic Republic of Iran. These groups decide and act based on their own principles and priorities as well as the interests of their country and people.”

Biden promised a response to the deaths of Americans. “We will hold all those responsible to account at a time and in a manner of our choosing,” he said in a statement.

The strike in Jordan occurred as Shia groups in the region have been pledging solidarity with the Palestinians and demanding that Israel end its assault on Gaza. Hezbollah in Lebanon repeatedly fired rockets and mortar shells into Israel, while Yemen’s Houthis launched missiles and drones at merchant ships sailing through the Red Sea. 

The US and UK began carrying out strikes on Houthi targets in Yemen on January 12, citing the need to protect international shipping. On Wednesday, US forces conducted airstrikes against three sites in western Iraq linked to the Kataib Hezbollah group, which claimed responsibility for attacks on US military sites in Iraq and Syria.

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