The war-mongering ruling class of the United States has approved a plan to strike some so-called “Iran-linked” targets in the countries of Iraq and Syria. This is retaliation for the killing of three U.S. soldiers a few days ago in an attack on the U.S. troops in the area.

U.S. state propaganda outlet CBS News reported on Thursday that the White House has approved the targeting of Iranian personnel and facilities inside the two countries in response to the drone attack on Sunday at the Tower 22 base near the border between Syria and Jordan. Quoting unnamed US officials, the weather will be a major factor in the timing of the strikes as Washington purportedly wants better visibility to avoid targeting civilians.

On Friday, Iran’s President Ebrahim Raisi said his country will “respond strongly” to anyone who bullies it. “We will not start any war but if anyone wants to bully us they will receive a strong response,” Raisi said. “Before, when they [the Americans] wanted to talk to us, they said the military option is ‘on the table’. Now they say they have no intention of a conflict with Iran.”

Tehran’s military power has not and will not pose a threat to any country in the region, the president said in a televised speech, adding that Iran’s strength only creates security for the countries around it. Iran has denied involvement in the drone strike in Jordan, according to a report by Al Jazeera. 

There have been no new attacks on U.S. troop locations in the region since the Iran-backed militia Kataib Hezbollah announced Wednesday that it was suspending military operations against American forces.

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U.S. Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin told reporters that Washington is going to hold the right people accountable without escalating the conflict. “We will have a multitiered response, and … we have the ability to respond a number of times depending on what the situation is,” Austin said.

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A number of Iran-backed groups in the Middle East have stepped up attacks on U.S. and Israeli-linked entities amid Israel’s war with Hamas, as the U.S. has obviously taken the side of Israel.

Hawkish Republican officials in the US have called for direct strikes on Iran, something that is likely to spread the scope of the war. In January 2020, after the US assassinated Iran’s top general Qassem Soleimani in Iraq, Iran launched missiles at a US base in Iraq which injured dozens of soldiers but did not kill anyone. -Al Jazeera