The Pentagon has acknowledged that it has no direct evidence linking Iran to the drone attack that killed three US servicemembers near Jordan’s border with Syria on Sunday, despite blaming “Iran-backed militant groups” for the incident.
The Islamic Resistance in Iraq, a coalition of militia groups, claimed responsibility for the attack, saying that it was a response to US support for Israel. The coalition also warned that all US interests in the region are legitimate targets.
However, the Biden administration has vowed to retaliate against Iran, accusing it of funding and arming the groups that carried out the attack. Sabrina Singh, the Pentagon’s deputy press secretary, said on Monday that “we know that Iran funds these groups” but admitted that the US does not have any specific evidence that Iran was behind Sunday’s attack.
“We’re going an intelligence assessment,” Singh said. “We just know that Iran funds these groups.”
Iran has denied any involvement in the attack, calling the US allegations “baseless” and “a plot by those who see their interests in once again getting the US involved in a new conflict in the region.”
The attack, which was the first deadly incident involving US troops since October, has sparked a wave of war rhetoric from some members of Congress, who have urged Biden to take decisive action against Iran.
The lack of evidence linking Iran to the attack, however, has raised questions about the credibility of the US claims and the wisdom of escalating tensions with Tehran.
The video of Singh’s admission has gone viral on social media, with many users criticizing the US for blaming Iran without proof and risking another war in the Middle East.
