(NewsNation) — President Joe Biden on Tuesday indicated he had decided how to respond after the killing of three American service members Sunday in a drone attack in Jordan that his administration has pinned on Iran-backed militia groups, saying he does not want to expand the war in the Middle East but demurring on specifics.
This comes as national security adviser Jake Sullivan said in September that the Middle East was quieter than it had been in two decades, while Secretary of State Antony Blinken stated Monday that the region now faces a dangerous situation not seen since at least 1973.
NewsNation’s Leland Vittert delved into the complex dynamics of the Iranian influence in the Middle East, emphasizing the differing perspectives on the region. He outlined the Biden administration’s approach, which centers on resolving the Israeli-Palestinian conflict as a means to address broader issues. In contrast, he presented the Iranian worldview, which views the United States as the root of problems in the region and involves supporting militant groups and pursuing nuclear capabilities.
In a Tuesday interview on NewsNation’s “On Balance,” retired Air Force Brig. Gen. Rob Spalding expressed concern over the delay in the administration’s response to the recent attacks. Spalding suggested a focus on strangling Iran economically and financially, particularly targeting the personal assets of Iranian leadership. He also highlighted the need to address the influence of external actors, such as China, in supporting Iran.
“The Chinese are supporting Iranians,” Spalding said, asserting that Iran is willing to sacrifice the lives of its proxies to continue embarrassing the United States.
The general suggested the Biden administration’s approach mirrors that of previous administrations, attributing the delay to a potential misunderstanding of the region.
“It doesn’t matter if it’s Republican or Democrat, you’re gonna get the same stuff. And this is just a misunderstanding of the region,” he said.
Spalding contended that the killing of Qassem Soleimani had effectively communicated vulnerability to the Iranian regime, stressing the importance of identifying what matters to Iran and taking those elements away.
U.S. officials said they are still determining which of several Iran-backed groups was responsible for the first killing of American troops in a wave of attacks against U.S. forces in the region since the Oct. 7 Hamas assault on Israel. Biden plans to attend the dignified transfer to mark the fallen troops’ return to American soil on Friday.
There have been a total of 166 attacks on U.S. military installations since Oct. 18, including 67 in Iraq, 98 in Syria and now one in Jordan, a U.S. military official said.
The Associated Press contributed to this report.