We have been reporting this week that the United States is preparing its response to a drone attack on a military base in Jordan which killed three US service members and injured at least 40 others on Sunday.
The US has blamed the attack on Iran-backed militants and has warned of retaliation.
In a news conference yesterday, US secretary of defence Lloyd Austin said the president “will not tolerate” attacks on US troops and neither will he.
“This is a dangerous moment in the Middle East but the US will take all necessary action,” Mr Austin said.
On Monday, President Biden’s top diplomat, secretary of state Antony Blinken, said the US response “could be multi-levelled, come in stages, and be sustained over time”.
A short time ago, the US Treasury issued new Iran-related sanctions (see previous post).
Assessing the options for a US response, Sky News’ Michael Clarke says it could include diplomatic as well as military action.
He says it will be a “sustained” response which will likely begin “very soon”.
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