Report by Tony Mrad, English adaptation by Nadine Sassine
"We will respond at a time and in a manner of our choosing," said President Joe Biden clearly, following the attack last Sunday on a US base in Jordan, which resulted in the death and injury of US soldiers.
So what are the options for the US administration to respond to this targeting?
The first option is to strike Iranian naval assets in the Gulf, according to the US website Politico.
The second option is to target Iranian military advisors in Syria and Iraq, according to the same estimates from the website.
The third option is to strike Iranian entities that supply drones and missiles, including those in Iran itself.
However, this possibility remains less likely than others, according to US officials speaking to The New York Times, due to Washington's fear of expanding the war.
The fourth and final option is to tighten sanctions on Iran.
All of this comes at a time when the US president is preparing for the presidential elections next November, where he is currently facing Republican Donald Trump.
The latter has begun to benefit from Sunday's incident, saying, "That would never have happened if I were president."
While Trump and the Republicans are pushing for a direct strike targeting Iran, voices of opposition have emerged from within the Republican Party itself.
Biden announced that his decision to respond has been made, without going into details, and whatever the response, it will affect his administration.
If it is weak, its electoral battle will be affected, and if it is strong, matters may escalate into a widespread war.
Nevertheless, the biggest challenge for Washington remains how to respond without igniting a regional war.