The White House has blamed an Iran-backed militia for a deadly drone strike on an American base in Jordan, as the US considers how to hit back.

National Security Council spokesman John Kirby said US intelligence believed the Islamic Resistance in Iraq was responsible for Sunday’s attack, which killed three US soldiers and injured at least 40 other US troops.

President Joe Biden has said without elaborating that he has already decided what the US response will be, but shared that he does not want a wider conflict in the Middle East, which has already been destabilised by the Israel Gaza war that erupted in October.

While Iran has denied any role in the drone attack, the Islamic Resistance in Iraq has already claimed responsibility for the strike.