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 Iran, urging the Islamic Republic 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.