White House Spokesman Says Biden ‘Not Looking for War with Iran’ as Republicans Demand Harsh Retaliation for Strike

National Security Council spokesman John Kirby said Monday morning that the White House is not looking to escalate the conflict in the Middle East, even as Republicans urge the administration to retaliate against Iran directly after the country’s proxies killed three American troops and wounded 25 others in a drone strike on U.S. forces in Jordan on Sunday.

“We are not looking for war with Iran,” Kirby said during an appearance on NBC’s Today.

“Obviously, these attacks keep coming. We’ll keep looking at the options,” Kirby continued. “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.”

Biden confirmed in a statement that the attack on a U.S. base in northeastern Jordan “was carried out by radical Iran-backed militant groups operating in Syria and Iraq,” and said the White House would “hold all those responsible to account at a time and in a manner of our choosing.”

Biden did not elaborate on his plans for retaliation, and Republicans are now pressing him to deliver a swift response to the drone attack.

“Joe Biden emboldened Iran for years by tolerating attacks on our troops, bribing the ayatollahs with billions of dollars, and appeasing them to no end,” Senator Tom Cotton said. “He left our troops as sitting ducks and now three are dead and dozens wounded, sadly as I’ve predicted would happen for months. The only answer to these attacks must be devastating military retaliation against Iran’s terrorist forces, both in Iran and across the Middle East.”

“Anything less will confirm Joe Biden as a coward unworthy of being commander-in-chief,” Cotton continued.

U.S. military instillations in the Middle East have sustained more than one hundred drone strikes in Iraq and Syria since the start of the Israel-Hamas war in October. Troops have also been under fire from Iran-backed Houthi rebels in the Red Sea, as the Houthis obstruct international trade efforts to pressure Israel into ending its ground offensive against Hamas. Sunday’s attack in Jordan was the first in which troops had been killed.

About 3,000 U.S. service members are stationed in Jordan.

Senator Lindsey Graham (R., S.C.) said that the Biden administration’s “policy of deterrence against Iran has failed miserably.”

“The Biden Administration can take out all the Iranian proxies they like, but it will not deter Iranian aggression. I am calling on the Biden Administration to strike targets of significance inside Iran, not only as reprisal for the killing of our forces, but as deterrence against future aggression,” Graham said. “The only thing the Iranian regime understands is force. Until they pay a price with their infrastructure and their personnel, the attacks on U.S. troops will continue.”

Chairman of the House Foreign Affairs Committee Rep. Michael McCaul demanded “a major reset of our Middle East policy to protect our national security interests,” agreeing with other Republicans that Biden’s deterrence policy has only emboldened Iranian proxies.

“The entire world now watches for signs that the president is finally prepared to exercise American strength to compel Iran to change its behavior,” Republican leader Senator Mitch McConnell said.

Senator Tim Scott agreed that “the Biden administration’s appeasement of Iran must end.”

“It’s time for clear and decisive action, and Iran must be held accountable for the malign activities of its proxies,” Scott said.