The Biden administration was very worried about the deaths of three American soldiers in a drone attack in Jordan on Sunday. Two women and a man from Georgia were killed.
This means the White House has to make a very hard choice about what to do next.
President Biden met with his national security team on Monday, and he has made a decision about what to do after thinking about his options. He had the option to attack places that are friendly with Iran, attack Iran itself, or not attack at all.
Every choice has a lot of danger, especially in a year when the president has to appear powerful but also needs to make sure things don’t get worse.
“We don’t want a big fight with Iran,” said John Kirby, who speaks for the National Security Council, to reporters. “We don’t want the fighting to spread to more countries in the area, but we have to take necessary actions. ”
The Biden administration must think about how to deal with Iran while Israel and Hamas are fighting.
Since October 7th, the most important thing for the US has been to prevent the fighting in Gaza from spreading to other areas. This is what led to the careful American reactions to the earlier attacks on its troops in the area.
This serious attack has made the US feel like it has to hit back hard. However, it is still important to find the right balance.
President Biden needs to figure out a way to send a strong message that will stop bad behavior, without making the situation worse.
Mr Biden’s opponents in politics don’t have to deal with this problem because they are not in power.
Donald Trump, who is ahead in the race to become the Republican presidential candidate, made a strong statement on social media on Sunday night, blaming the president for the situation.
“Another terrible attack on the United States happened because Joe Biden is weak and gives up too easily,” said Mr.
The old president didn’t say what he would do if he was still in charge. He also hasn’t said anything else about it. Other Republicans have also spoken their mind.
Senator Tom Cotton said that we need to strongly fight back with military force against these attacks. He said that if the president did anything less, it would show that he was a coward.
Mitch McConnell, the top Republican in the Senate, said that Iran should face serious and damaging consequences. Senator Lindsay Graham said America should attack important places inside Iran.
However, most important members of the Democratic party did not take extreme action. They wanted those responsible to be punished and for the US to target groups supported by Iran instead of attacking Iran directly.
Senator Ben Cardin, who leads the Senate Foreign Relations Committee, said that we cannot ignore this attack. “I am in favor of President Biden’s careful and fair reaction. ”
Democratic Senator Richard Blumenthal said the same thing, writing on X that it is very important to have a strong and precise response against forces backed by Iran.
The Biden government has stated that they will not make their decision on how to act based on polls or the upcoming election. “He’s not thinking about politics,” John Kirby told the news.
In an election year, decisions about foreign policy are always influenced by politics within the country. How will American voters see the military’s actions or lack of actions.
Many people think that voters don’t care much about a president’s foreign policy when they decide who to vote for. With problems in the Middle East and Ukraine, more voters think it’s important this year.
By November, people may forget about the specific attack, but they still care about how their country is seen by the world.
I’ve heard people all over the US say they are worried that our country looks weak right now. They like that Donald Trump promises to be a strong leader who will make sure no other country can bully America.
Talking about military strategy and global diplomacy is easier on the campaign trail than in the White House situation room.
Joe Biden has to make a very important decision that could have big effects in the Middle East. However, his answer could also have consequences in a very important election year for our country.