A day after a US contractor was killed and six Americans were injured in an attack in Syria that was attributed to Iranian-backed militant groups, US President Joe Biden said that the US does not seek conflict with Iran but will respond “forcefully” to protect its personnel.
This week, Biden travelled to Canada, where he met with US President Barack Obama and Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau to discuss the progress made under the February 2021 Roadmap for a Renewed US-Canada Partnership.
In a joint press conference with Canadian President Justin Trudeau on Friday, Biden said, “And to make no mistake: The United States does not — does not, I emphasize — seek conflict with Iran, but be prepared for us to act forcefully to protect our people.”
Before beginning his speech, President Biden stated that his national security team was en route to Syria to investigate the Thursday attack.
“An Iranian-backed militant group used an unmanned aerial vehicle to attack one of the United States’ facilities, resulting in several American casualties.” “Tragically, one of our citizens was killed in that attack,” Biden said.
He went on to say that the US had ordered an immediate response. On Thursday night, US military forces carried out a series of airstrikes in Syria, targeting those responsible for the attack on US personnel.
“My heartfelt condolences go out to the family of the American we lost, and we wish those who have been injured a speedy recovery,” he added.
“I’m also grateful for the professionalism of our service members who carried out this response so expertly,” he said.
He also stated that the US will continue to counter terrorist threats in the region in collaboration with Canada and other coalition members to defeat ISIS.
“We are making sure that we can meet any threat through NATO,” he added.
He went on to say that the US, NATO, the G7, the Quad, ASEAN, Japan, and Korea are all working for global security and will combat any threat.
Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau echoed Biden’s remarks, saying that interference by authoritarian governments such as China, Iran, and others is a threat to democracies.
When asked if there would be a higher cost if Iran continued to target Americans, Biden replied, “We are not going to stop.”
The president’s remarks were his first public remarks since the United States carried out a strike on Iranian facilities Thursday evening that the Pentagon said were used by groups affiliated with Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps, CNN reported.
Another US service member was injured but is in stable condition on Friday after a rocket attack near the Conoco oil and gas fields near Deir Ezzor in Syria, a US official confirmed to CNN.
Following previous attacks on US facilities in the region, the Biden administration has conducted airstrikes against militias affiliated with Iran on multiple occasions.
