Democratic Lawmaker Has 'No Doubt' US Will Respond to Attack in Jordan

Colorado Representative Jason Crow told CNN's Wolf Blitzer on Monday that he has "no doubt" that the United States plans to respond to the deadly drone attack leveled against U.S. service members in Jordan.

"We have to decide what to do in response," Crow, a Democrat, said during an interview on The Situation Room. "There's no doubt that we're going to respond here."

Crow added that it was not "off the table" for the U.S. to respond to the attack, which the White House said was conducted by an Iran-backed militant group, by striking inside Iran. He said, however, that Washington would risk escalating the situation "and having this snowball out of control into a broader regional conflict, which we certainly don't want."

The Context

Three U.S. military personnel were killed and several dozens more injured on Sunday in a drone strike on a U.S. base in northeastern Jordan near the Syrian border. President Joe Biden said that the attack was carried out by a "radical Iran-backed militant group operating in Syria and Iraq," although Iran denied any responsibility in the strike.

What We Know

Tensions have risen in the Middle East in recent months amid the war between Israel and Palestinian militant group Hamas in the Gaza Strip. The conflict has pressured the Biden administration on its policies in the region, including from members of his own party who have called for a ceasefire between Israel and Hamas.

Views

Several congressional Republicans have responded to Sunday's attacks against U.S. service members by calling on Washington to strike inside Iranian territory. South Carolina Senator Lindsey Graham, who said in a statement that the Biden administration should "strike targets of significance inside Iran, not only as reprisal for the killing of our forces, but as deterrence against future aggression."

Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin vowed during a press conference Monday that Washington will "take all necessary actions to defend the U.S." in response to the attack in Jordan. John Kirby, White House National Security Council spokesperson, has said, however, that the Biden administration does not want a "wider war with Iran" as a result of a U.S. response.

When reached for comment, the U.S. State Department directed Newsweek to a press conference by Secretary of State Antony Blinken on Monday, during which he told reporters that the White House plans to "respond decisively to any aggression, and we will hold responsible the people who attacked our troops" at a "time and place of our choosing."

"From the outset, we have been clear in warning that anyone looking to take advantage of conflict in the Middle East and try to expand it: Don't do it," Blinken said. "We've taken steps to defend ourselves and to defend our partners as well as to prevent escalation."

What's Next?

Crow, who was deployed to both Iraq and Afghanistan while serving in the U.S. Army prior to running for office, said during his appearance on CNN that congressional lawmakers are discussing alongside White House advisers the proper U.S. response to the Jordan attacks. He also dismissed calls for Washington to respond immediately to the airstrike, echoing Blinken's stance that the U.S. should respond "in a time and manner of our choosing."

"One thing that I know well is that it's really easy for politicians in Washington to pound their chest, to send out tweets, to talk tough," the congressman told Blitzer. "Let's put aside the tough talk for a minute here and actually look at, you know, what can we do to defend our service members, to defend U.S. interests, to make sure we're fighting back and pushing back against Iranian proxies and Arabian regional aggression, but not creating a much larger problem on our hands right now."

"Talking tough is very easy, I've found," he added. "Actually figuring out good policy is much harder. So let's have that debate publicly."

Update 1/29/24, 7:42 p.m. ET: This article has been updated with additional information and background.