Iran-US Tensions Escalate: Biden's Warning Raises Concerns

Iranian commentators warned of a US military retaliation after Washington pledged a "very consequential" response to troop deaths, but largely agreed full-blown war was not in the offing.

US President Joe Biden blamed "radical Iran-backed militant groups operating in Syria and Iraq" for a drone strike on a remote Jordan desert base near Syria and Iraq that killed three US forces.

The first American military deaths in an attack since the October 7 outbreak of the Israel-Hamas war have ratcheted up tensions between the long-time enemies at the start of a US election year.

Longtime foes Washington and Tehran have both been at pains to stress they do not want war, so Biden's warning has left Iranians guessing about the next move.

In a sign of heightened tensions, Iran's rial slipped to an all-time low of around 580,000 to 600,000 to the US dollar on the black market.

The reformist Etemaad daily also said it was "possible" the Biden administration -- under political pressure from the Republicans -- will target limited but strategic targets inside Iran.

"This scenario may spell the end of diplomatic efforts between Tehran and Washington," it said.

Some of Biden's Republican rivals have urged a direct attack on Iran, while the president said that "a wider war in the Middle East" was "not what I'm looking for".

Iranian officials were quick to deny any links to the Jordan attack, reiterating that Tehran also opposes an "expansion" of the conflict in the region.

The killings in Jordan follow a spate of attacks on US forces in nearby Iraq and Syria, many claimed by the Iran-backed alliance Islamic Resistance in Iraq.

China and Russia, which have friendly ties with Iran, urged de-escalation and restraint, and Beijing warned against a "cycle of retaliation" in the Middle East.