The United States believes Iran made the drone that crashed into a US base in Jordan last weekend, killing three US soldiers and injuring more than 40, four US officials told Reuters.

Washington blamed the attack – the first to kill US troops in the Middle East since the war between Israel and Hamas began in October – on Iranian-backed militants, and President Joe Biden’s administration has promised a multi-tiered response that will include strikes.

But he has not said publicly where the weapons that killed the Americans came from, even as he acknowledged Iran’s ultimate responsibility for funding and even, in some cases, training the militants responsible.

The officials, who spoke to Reuters on condition of anonymity, did not provide the model of the drone and said the analysis was still ongoing.

Although initial indications were that the drone was likely Iranian, an official assessment was made only recently after parts of the drone were found.

U.S. Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin, asked at a press conference after the Reuters report, would not confirm the origin of the drone.

“We’re still doing forensics,” Austin said. “But most of the drones that are in the region are related to Iran in some way. So . . .”

Austin said he didn’t know if Iran knew about the attack in advance, but added that he didn’t think it mattered.

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