Washington DC - President Joe Biden said Tuesday he had decided on a response to a drone strike that killed three American troops in Jordan but said he did not want a wider war in the Middle East.

Facing growing pressure in an election year, Biden said he held Iran responsible for supplying the weapons to the people who carried out the deadly attack on a military base.

The White House warned that "multiple actions" were likely in retaliation for the first fatal attack on US forces in the region since the Israel-Hamas war broke out in October, but gave no further details.

Biden (81) who was hitting the campaign trail in Florida, has previously blamed Iran-backed militias for the attack which has further raised fears of a regional conflict.

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"Yes," Biden told reporters at the White House when asked if he had decided on his response, but he did not give details on what actions he would take.

"I don’t think we need a wider war in the Middle East. That’s not what I’m looking for," he added when asked about fears that a retaliation could lead to a direct confrontation with Iran.

Iran has denied any links to the drone strike and said it was not seeking an expansion of conflict, either.

Republicans have urged the Democrat to punish Iran for the drone strike on a US military facility near the Jordanian-Syrian border Sunday, with some urging direct strikes on Iran itself.

But Biden's administration believes hitting Iranian territory could cause the region to erupt, with strikes on Iranian-backed militias and possibly on Iranian Revolutionary Guard facilities in other countries more likely.

"It's very possible that what you'll see is a tiered approach here, not just a single action but potentially multiple actions," National Security Council spokesman John Kirby told reporters aboard Air Force One.

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Secretary of State Antony Blinken said on Monday that the response "could be multi-leveled, come in stages, and be sustained over time."

Asked whether Iran was to blame for the attack on Jordan, Biden replied: "I do hold them responsible, in the sense that they're supplying the weapons to the people who did it."

Biden added that "we'll have that discussion" when asked if a direct link to Iran had been established.

Tensions in the region are already sky-high due to Israel's relentless war on Gaza, with anger at US backing for the onslaught reaching boiling point.