U.S. national security adviser Jake Sullivan declined on Sunday to rule out the possibility President Joe Biden could order strikes on Iranian territory in response to the killing of three U.S. service members by Iranian-backed militias last week in Jordan. But he promised more airstrikes on Iran’s allies and proxy forces in the region.

Already, the U.S. struck seven facilities in Iraq and Syria on Friday in retaliation for the deaths, claiming the sites were "utilized by Iran's Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps and the militant groups that they sponsor." 

What You Need To Know

  • The chair of the Senate Foreign Relations Committee, Sen. Ben Cardin, D-Md., said he believes President Joe Biden should come to Congress for a new authorization for military action amid continued strikes in the Middle East
  • It adds to growing questions from lawmakers about the president’s authority to continue to order airstrikes against the Houthi rebels in Yemen for attacks on shipping in the Red Sea without Congress’ involvement 
  • In separate letters notifying Congress of the moves, the president cited his powers as commander in chief to act in self-defense as well as the authorization for use of military force, or AUMF, approved by Congress following the Sept. 11 2001 terrorist attacks
  • House and Senate lawmakers on both sides of the aisle have sent letters to Biden urging him to consult with Congress 

“Sitting here today on a national news program, I'm not going to get into what we've ruled in and ruled out from the point of view of military action,” Sullivan said on NBC News’ “Meet the Press,” an assertion he made multiple times across several media appearances when asked about the U.S. launching strikes on Iran. “What I will say is that the president is determined to respond forcefully to attacks on our people. The President also is not looking for a wider war in the Middle East.”

“I'm not going to get into what's on the table and off the table when it comes to the American response,” he added, promising “additional strikes.”

In a separate interview on "Meet the Press" on Sunday, House Speaker Mike Johnson, R-La., said that strikes should be kept under consideration.

"We need to make absolutely clear to Iran that nothing is off the table," Johnson said.

The death of American troops heightened already serious tensions and conflicts in the region that have flared up since the Israel-Hamas war began. In recent weeks, the U.S. has bombed Iraq, Syria and Yemen, targeting Iranian-backed militias and rebels who have launched around 200 rocket and drone attacks on U.S. bases and warships. Israel, Turkey, Iran, Pakistan, the U.K., the Houthis of Yemen and other nations and groups have all launched strikes in the months since the bombardment of Gaza began in response to the Oct. 7, 2023, Hamas attack on southern Israel.

Some prominent Senate Republicans have called for direct strikes on Iranian forces, including inside Iran. On Sunday, Sen. Lindsey Graham, R-S.C. -- who has long called for the U.S. to strike Iran -- argued former President Donald Trump ordering the killing of Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps commander Qassem Soleimani in 2020 was an example of a better tactic than Biden’s strategy of hitting their proxy forces elsewhere in the region.

“They were afraid of Trump. They're not afraid of us,” Graham said on “Fox News Sunday.” “The only Iranian we killed in Syria or Iraq is some dumbass that doesn’t know to get out of the way. We gave them a week's notice.”

Former Trump administration U.N. Ambassador Nikki Haley, a 2024 Republican presidential contender, also said on CNN’s “State of the Union” on Sunday that Biden should “go after one or two of the IRGC military leaders that are making these decisions,” including “surgically” inside Iran if necessary.

For his own part, Trump said on Fox News’ “Sunday Morning Futures” that he knows “exactly what I’d do, subject to change of course,” if he was president, but wouldn’t disclose what actions he was considering. He said if Biden wants to prevent a widening war he would need to be “a lot tougher,” before going on to baselessly accuse his successor of being a Manchurian Candidate taking money from the Chinese government.

Sullivan said on Sunday the U.S. was “still assessing” the number of casualties from the Friday strikes in Iraq and Syria, but the Iraqi government said at least 16 people were killed and 25 were wounded, including an unspecified number of civilians and Iraqi service members. In a statement, Prime Minister Mohammed Al-Sudani’s office called it “a new act of aggression” that “will push the security situation in Iraq and the region to the brink of the abyss.” Al-Sudani announced a three-day national mourning period on Saturday for the loss of service members and civilians.

“Iraq reiterates its rejection of turning its territory into a battleground for settling scores,” spokesperson Basim Alawadi said in a statement on Saturday. “We assert that the presence of the international coalition, which deviated from its assigned tasks and granted mandate, has become a reason for endangering security and stability in Iraq. It also serves as a justification for entangling Iraq in regional and international conflicts.”

Iraq’s government has begun seeking a withdrawal of U.S. and coalition troops from its borders, arguing their anti-Islamic State mission has come to an end and foreign militaries no longer belong in Iraq. Washington and Baghdad promised new talks last month.

In an appearance on “Fox News Sunday,” White House national security spokesperson John Kirby dismissed concerns from both Democrats and Republicans, including Senate Foreign Relations chair Ben Cardin, D-Md., that Biden has not come to Congress for the legal authorization to take military action. Biden and his administration, as the three administrations prior did, argue that the 22-year-old authorization of military force approved by Congress after the Sept. 11, 2001 terror attacks gives him the power to launch attacks throughout the Middle East and Africa without congressional approval.

“The president is acting consistent with his Article Two responsibilities as commander in chief. These are self defense actions that we're taking to prevent and to take away capability from these groups from targeting our troops and our facilities,” Kirby said. “We're confident and comfortable that the President has the appropriate authorities to continue to conduct these strikes to protect our people, our ships, our sailors, our troops and our facilities throughout the region.”