Iran says it has no link to drone strike in Jordan that killed US soldiers
‘Resistance groups’ do not take orders from Tehran, official says
Tehran: Iran views claims it is involved in an attack that killed three US service members in northeastern Jordan near Syria’s border as “baseless”, foreign ministry spokesperson Nasser Kanaani said on Monday.
Kanaani also said the continuation of US strikes on Syria and Iraq as well as the war in Gaza will only intensify a cycle of instability in the region.
US President Biden blamed Iran-backed groups for the unmanned aerial drone attack on US. forces, the first deadly strike against US forces since the Israel-Hamas war erupted in October and sent shock waves throughout the Middle East.
Kanaani said “resistance groups” do not take orders from the Islamic Republic.
Earlier, Iran’s Mission to the United States issued a statement affirming that “Iran had no connection and had nothing to do with the attack on the US base.”
It added: “There is a conflict between US forces and resistance groups in the region, which reciprocate retaliatory attacks.” The attack is a major escalation of the already tense situation in the Middle East, where war broke out in Gaza after an attack by Palestinian Islamist group Hamas on Israel on October 7.
There has so far been no claim of responsibility for the strike but British Foreign Secretary David Cameron reiterated a call for Iran "to de-escalate in the region."
He also condemned the attack "by Iran-aligned militia groups" in a post on social media platform X.
Hamas spokesman Sami Abu Zuhri said the Jordan attack was "a message to the American administration".
"The continuation of the American-Zionist aggression on Gaza risks a regional explosion," Abu Zuhri said.
The US Central Command (CENTCOM) said late on Sunday the attack had hit the remote Tower 22 logistics support base and that 34 personnel were also wounded, eight of whom required evacuation.
There are around 350 US Army and Air Force personnel at the base who operate in support roles, including for the international coalition against the Daesh (Islamic State) terror group, CENTCOM said.
Jordan's government spokesman Muhannad Mubaidin condemned the attack, as did Bahrain and Egypt.
The escalating Middle East conflict poses a challenge to US President Joe Biden in an election year.