[HIGHLIGHTS] The US launches a series of airstrikes against pro-Iran targets in Iraq and Syria in retaliation for the death of three soldiers

Pentagon's actions come after last weekend's attack on a US base in Jordan with a drone launched by militias allied with Iran in the Middle East. President Joe Biden attributed the attack to Iranian-backed militias operating in Syria and Iraq, although he stopped short of precisely identifying the group responsible.

Iran has denied involvement in the drone attack and said it is also not seeking direct confrontation with the U.S. The last time the US military attacked an Iranian ship was in 1988, when the Navy launched retaliatory strikes in the Persian Gulf.