The U.S. has decided on an appropriate response to the drone attack that killed three American troops in Jordan, President Joe Biden said Tuesday.
Biden is facing growing pressure in a U.S. election year but insisted he did not want a wider war in the Middle East.
However, he said Iran was responsible for supplying the weapons to the people who carried out the deadly attack on a military base.
The White House warned that "multiple actions" were likely in retaliation for the first fatal attack on U.S. forces in the region since Israel launched its brutal war on Gaza in response to the Oct. 7 Hamas incursion.
A leading pro-Iranian group in Iraq said Tuesday that it would halt attacks on U.S. forces as military action loomed but there was no sign it would be enough to stop Washington from retaliating.
"Yes," Biden told reporters as he headed for campaign fundraisers in Florida when asked if he had decided on his response, but he did not give details.
"I don't think we need a wider war in the Middle East. That's not what I'm looking for," he added.
Tensions have soared in the region since the Oct. 7 incursion, with US forces in Iraq and Syria coming under attack more than 165 times in the intervening months.
The United States and Britain have also launched a campaign of airstrikes against Yemen's Iran-backed Houthi militants, who have carried out repeated attacks on shipping in the Red Sea in what they say is solidarity with Gaza.
Late Tuesday, the U.S. military shot down the latest anti-ship missile fired toward the Red Sea by the Houthis, according to U.S. Central Command.
"There were no injuries or damage reported," CENTCOM said in a statement.
Republicans have urged Democrat Biden to punish Iran for Sunday's drone strike on a U.S. military facility near the Jordanian-Syrian border, with some urging direct strikes on Iran itself.
Asked whether Iran was to blame for the attack on Jordan, Biden replied: "I do hold them responsible, in the sense that they're supplying the weapons to the people who did it."
Biden added, "We'll have that discussion" when asked if a direct link to Iran had been established.
But his administration believes hitting Iranian territory could cause the region to erupt, with strikes on allied militias and possibly on Iranian Revolutionary Guard personnel in other countries more likely, U.S. media reported.
"It's very possible that what you'll see is a tiered approach here, not just a single action but potentially multiple actions," National Security Council spokesperson John Kirby told reporters aboard Air Force One.
The deaths of the service members came as campaigning for the U.S. presidential election in November gets into full swing.
Republican candidate Donald Trump in a fiery statement said that "the world has gone to Hell" under Biden, who "has our country hurtling straight into World War III."
Washington will also be careful not to undermine sensitive talks on a new deal to release hostages held by Hamas in exchange for a pause in Israel's offensive on Gaza.
Tehran has denied any links to the drone strike in Jordan and said that like Washington it was not seeking an expansion of conflict.
A pro-Iran group in Iraq, Kataeb Hezbollah, said Tuesday it would halt its attacks on U.S. troops as military action loomed.
The militia has not claimed the Jordan attack, but the Pentagon has said it has the group's "footprints."
"We're announcing the suspension of our military and security operations against the occupying forces to avoid any embarrassment for the Iraqi government," Kataeb Hezbollah wrote on its website.
Asked about the group's statement, Pentagon spokesperson Maj. Gen. Pat Ryder said: "Actions speak louder than words."
"We have called on the Iranian proxy groups to stop their attacks. They have not. And so we will respond in a time and manner of our choosing," Ryder said.
The Kremlin, a close ally of Tehran, called Tuesday for de-escalation in the Middle East.
"In our view, the overall level of tension is very alarming and, on the contrary, now is the time for steps to de-escalate tensions," Kremlin spokesperson Dmitry Peskov told reporters in Moscow.
China also warned against a "cycle of retaliation" in the Middle East.
Beijing has close ties with both Russia and Iran, with all three seeking to challenge what they say is Washington's global hegemony.
