President Joe Biden faced mounting political pressure Monday to retaliate against Iran for a deadly drone strike on US troops, posing a major challenge for the Democrat in an election year.
Striking Iran would dramatically escalate the risk of the wider war Biden says he's trying to avoid -- not to mention the possibility of more US caskets coming home in the months before polls open.
But with Republicans urging the 81-year-old to "hit Iran", Biden can ill afford to portray weakness against Tehran as he struggles with low approval ratings ahead of a likely rematch with Donald Trump.
"He's under tremendous pressure -- the administration's in a kind of a lose-lose situation," Colin Clarke, research director at the Soufan Center in New York, told AFP.
"I think he's going to get hammered by people saying he's weak and he's going get hammered by people saying he's going too far. So it's damned if you do, damned if you don't."
The White House on Monday promised a "very consequential" answer to the attack on a base in Jordan on Sunday that killed three US troops, the first to die in hostile action since the start of the Israeli war on Gaza.
Biden himself said "we shall respond" during a campaign event at a church in South Carolina, one of a series he's held in recent days as he seeks to kickstart his bid for a second term.
Iran has denied any link to the attack, which Biden blamed on Iran-backed militias.
But the issue has become a political weapon for Republicans -- and Trump in particular, as he seeks a return to the White House in November's election and vengeance for his 2020 loss to Biden.
