By Madeline HalpertBBC News, New York
President Joe Biden says he has decided how the US will respond to a drone strike that killed three American troops in Jordan at the weekend.
Mr Biden did not elaborate in his remarks at the White House, but added: "I don't think we need a wider war in the Middle East."
An Iran-backed militia group has claimed responsibility for the attack at a US military base.
Dozens more were injured in Sunday's strike near the Syrian border.
The drone strike was the first time US soldiers were killed by enemy fire in the Middle East since the Israel Gaza war erupted on 7 October.
Iran has denied any involvement in the attack.
Asked by reporters on Tuesday morning if he had decided how to respond to the attack, Mr Biden said: "Yes."
He was also asked if Iran should be blamed. "I do hold them [Iran] responsible in the sense that they're supplying the weapons to the people who did it," he said.
National Security Council spokesperson John Kirby said the US might take a "tiered approach" in its response.
"Not just a single action, but potentially multiple actions... over a period of time," he told reporters on board Air Force One for Mr Biden's trip to attend election fundraisers in Florida.
"The guiding principle is making sure that we continue to degrade the kinds of capabilities that these groups have at their disposal to use against our troops and our facilities," he said.
Mr Kirby added: "The president will do what he has to do to protect our troops and our facilities and to look after our national security."
The president has a number of options, including retaliatory strikes on Iran-allied bases and commanders.
The US could also target senior commanders of Iran's Islamic Revolution Guard Corps in Iraq or Syria.
The overnight attack targeted a US military base known as Tower 22 in north-eastern Jordan.
About 350 US forces are stationed at the base, which is focused on supporting the coalition to defeat the Islamic State, according to US Central Command.
The enemy drone struck while an American drone was returning to the base from a mission.
US Department of DefenseOfficials say the base's air defence auto-response features were turned off to avoid shooting down the US drone.
But because of that, there was no warning for troops who were reportedly still in their sleeping quarters.
The strike killed Sgt William Jerome Rivers, 46, Specialist Kennedy Ladon Sanders, 24, and Specialist Breonna Alexsondria Moffett, 23. More than 40 others were wounded, including 34 people who officials say were evaluated for possible traumatic brain injuries.
In recent months, several US bases in the Middle East have been attacked by militias trained, funded and equipped by Iran.
The Islamic Resistance in Iraq has claimed it was responsible for Sunday's strike.
The group - which is made up of several Iran-affiliated militias operating in Iraq - said it targeted three US bases in Syria: Shaddadi, Tanf and Rukban.
It has claimed responsibility for other attacks against US forces in recent weeks.
The Iraqi government has condemned the strike and called for "an end to the cycle of violence" in the Middle East.
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