US doesn’t seek another war: White House on drone strike

A day after three US troops were killed in a drone strike in Jordan, the White House on Monday said it does not want to seek another war or escalate the tension, but would absolutely do what is required to protect itself in the region. John Kirby, Coordinator for Strategic Communications at the National Security Council in the White House, told reporters at a news conference here that the attack also sent more than 30 US soldiers to hospital, some with serious injuries. "These troops were conducting a vital mission in the region, aimed at helping US work with partners to counter ISIS. And even as the Defense Department gathers more information about the attack, that mission must and will continue," he said.

"The counter-isis mission is separate and distinct ..indeed it has been longstanding and unrelated to our efforts to support Israel and to prevent a wider conflict in the region," Kirby said.

"We do not seek another war. We do not seek to escalate. But we will absolutely do what is required to protect ourselves, to continue that mission, and to respond appropriately to these attacks," he asserted.

Iran urges diplomacy

Iran urged the US to use diplomacy to ease tensions in the Middle East, as Tehran braces for a military response to a deadly attack on an American base over the weekend. The foreign minister of the Islamic Republic said “active” diplomacy is underway to find a political solution to the war in Gaza and the regional fallout, without elaborating. “The White House knows very well” that the way to end the war “and the current crisis in the region is political,” Hossein Amirabdollahian said in a post on X. The comments came as the US weighs how to retaliate against a deadly attack on a base in Jorda.