President Joe Biden warned that the United States would respond to drone strikes by Tehran or any other hostile act that the Iranian regime took against American interests, The Jerusalem Post reported.
"With regard to the issue of how we’re going to respond to actions taken by them against the interests of the United States — whether they’re drone strikes or anything else — is we’re going to respond, and we’re going to continue to respond," Biden said.
The president made the comments following discussions with European powers over the weekend about what steps to take in order to prevent the regime in Tehran from obtaining a nuclear weapon.
"We came together to reiterate our shared belief that diplomacy is the best way to prevent Iran from gaining a nuclear weapon, and we discussed how best to encourage Iran to resume serious, good-faith negotiations," Biden said as the latest round of indirect negotiations to renew the Iran nuclear deal is expected to be held at the end of the month.
The presdient’s comments also came a day after the U.S. announced new sanctions targeting the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps drone program following the recent drone atttack against an American military base in Syria.
Both U.S. and coalition soldiers are based at al-Tanf, which is located on a road in Syria serving as an important link for Iranian backed forces. The base serves as a place to train Syrian forces on countering Islamic State jihadists, according to The Times of Israel.
Pentagon spokesman John Kirby said that if there is to be a response to the drone attack, "it will be at a time and a place and a manner of our choosing, and we certainly won’t get ahead of those kinds of decisions."
Deputy Treasury Secretary Wally Adeyemo issued a statement regarding the sanctions, The Hill reported, saying that "Iran and its proxy militants have used UAVs to attack U.S. forces, our partners, and international shipping. Treasury will continue to hold Iran accountable for its irresponsible and violent acts."