US strikes on Iran’s militias and proxy forces fulfilled President Joe Biden’s promise to retaliate for the deaths of three US soldiers yet left room for both sides to back away from a high-risk confrontation. 

The strikes fit with a plan Biden had telegraphed for days: He would inflict pain on Iran for the drone attack on a US base in Jordan by one of the Iraq-based militias it supports. He would demonstrate the full range of American power. And he would also keep his options open.

It was a strategy that underscored Biden’s desire to respond forcefully – and make Iran and its proxies think twice about future attacks – while also trying not to get the US pulled deeper into a regional conflict than it already has been. 

“Our response began today,” Biden said in a statement. “It will continue at times and places of our choosing.”

Lurking in the background is his desire to keep the US-Iran confrontation from scuttling tentative negotiations between Israel and Hamas. Israel’s devastating response to the group’s surprise assault on Oct. 7, and US support for the Israeli government, is one reason Iran’s proxies cite for their repeated attacks.