President Joe Biden said Friday that the U.S. does not seek conflict with Iran, but will respond “forcefully” to protect its personnel in Syria and elsewhere, a day after a U.S. contractor was killed and six other Americans were injured in an attack blamed on groups affiliated with Iran in northeast Syria.
Biden said he ordered a retaliatory airstrike on sites in Syria used by groups affiliated with Iran's Revolutionary Guard. Speaking in Ottawa, Canada, where he is on a state visit, Biden expressed his “deepest condolences” to the family of the American killed and issued a warning to Iran.
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“The United States does not, does not seek conflict with Iran,” Biden said. But he said the U.S. is prepared "to act forcefully to protect our people. That's exactly what happened last night.”
