Iranian Foreign Ministry spokesman Nasser Kanaani (Iranian press)

Tehran denied - today, Monday - its involvement in a drone attack that killed 3 American soldiers in Jordan, according to a Foreign Ministry statement carried by the official news agency (IRNA).

"IRNA" quoted ministry spokesman Nasser Kanaani as saying, "These accusations have a political purpose and aim to overturn the facts in the region," in response to a statement by British Foreign Secretary David Cameron in which he called on Tehran to "stop the escalation."

The US Army had previously announced the killing of 3 of its members and the wounding of dozens of others in a drone attack on a base in Jordan, and Washington accused armed groups backed by Iran of being behind this attack and vowed to respond to it.

US President Joe Biden also vowed to hold all those responsible for the attack accountable "at the appropriate time and in the manner we choose."

The US Department of Defense (the Pentagon) described what its forces were exposed to in Jordan as a dangerous escalation.

The US Central Command said that the attack targeted the logistical support base at Tower 22 of the Jordanian defense network (northeast of the Kingdom) near the border with Syria, and resulted in the death of 3 soldiers and the injury of 34 others, noting that 8 of the wounded soldiers were evacuated from Jordan to receive advanced health care.

While a source in the "Islamic Resistance in Iraq" told Al Jazeera that American soldiers were killed in a march that attacked an American base in Syria from Syrian territory, the Washington Post quoted an official in the Iraqi faction claiming responsibility for the attack, warning that there would be an escalation if The United States continued to support Israel.

CNN also quoted officials as saying that the march took place near residential areas on the American base, and that this was the first time that American soldiers had been killed in attacks on Washington’s interests since the start of the war on the Gaza Strip.

The Associated Press quoted an American official as saying that a large drone struck the base located in Jordan on the Syrian border, noting that "the base is used by forces participating in providing advice and assistance to the Jordanian forces."

A terrorist attack"

Jordan described the attack as "terrorist" and said it targeted an advanced site on the border with Syria.

The Jordanian government said - earlier yesterday - that the attack targeted the Al-Tanf base on the border with Syria, and accused "terrorist militias" of carrying it out, explaining that the American presence near the Jordanian border comes within the context of the cooperation agreement between the two countries.

The "Islamic Resistance in Iraq" said that it targeted 4 American bases yesterday, 3 of which are in Syria, which are Al-Shaddadi in Al-Hasakah Governorate, and Al-Rukban and Al-Tanf in Homs Governorate, at the triangle of the Syrian-Iraqi-Jordanian border. As for the fourth base, it is the "Zevolun" naval facility inside the Palestinian territories. The occupied territories, according to a statement issued by this Iraqi faction.

Since the beginning of the war in Gaza, attacks on American forces in the region have escalated, with the Pentagon saying that its forces have been subjected to 151 attacks in Iraq and Syria since October 2023.

Source: Al Jazeera + agencies