President Biden and Vice President Harris, the presumptive Democratic nominee for president, were set to meet Monday with national security officials in the White House Situation Room after Iran reiterated its intention to punish Israel for the apparent assassination of top Hamas political leader Ismail Haniyeh in Tehran on July 31.
"We don't want to see Iran take further action, and that's the message we are consistently delivering to our partners in the region," State Department spokesperson Matthew Miller said at the Monday briefing.
"We're at a critical moment for the region, and it's important that all parties take steps over the coming days to refrain from escalation and calm tensions. Escalation is in no one's interest."
In a show of diplomatic urgency, Jordan Foreign Minister Ayman Safadi made an extremely rare trip to Tehran on Sunday, seeking to influence Iran's response. The Associated Press reported it was the first visit by a senior Jordanian official to Iran in more than 20 years.
But it's unclear whether the diplomacy will have an impact, said Gordon Gray, former ambassador to Tunisia and a more than three-decade State Department veteran who served in senior roles focused on the Middle East.
"I think there will be retaliation, I think that that's inevitable. It's a question of, if nothing else, of saving face or national honor. The question is the scope of that retaliation," Gray said.
Even as the U.S. sought to cool tensions, the Pentagon dispatched significant resources to the region in anticipation of the attack.
Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin on Friday ordered a fighter jet squadron, Navy ships and air defenses to the Middle East in an effort to "mitigate the possibility of regional escalation by Iran or Iran's partners and proxies."
The beefing up of military might in the region makes good on Biden's promise last week to bolster Israel's security, a vow made in a Thursday phone call to Israel Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu.
The administration maintains that the U.S. priority is to prevent a wider war in the Middle East.
"The United States also remains intently focused on de-escalating tensions in the region and pushing for a cease-fire as part of a hostage deal to bring the hostages home and end the war in Gaza," Austin said Friday.
U.S. Central Command head Gen. Michael Kurilla, the general in charge of American forces in the Middle East, is also in the region, the Pentagon confirmed Monday. Although the trip was planned ahead of the recent escalations, he is reportedly trying to help mobilize an international and regional coalition to defend Israel's skies.
Biden's dispatching of serious military assets demonstrates the U.S. commitment to Israel's security, but his patience is reportedly wearing thin with Netanyahu over the failure — so far — to achieve a cease-fire deal between Israel and Hamas and the wisdom of killing Haniyeh inside Tehran at a crucial moment in the talks.
Read the full report at TheHill.com.
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