As I’ve noted several times before, it is in the best interests of neither the US nor Iran to widen the war. That doesn’t mean it can’t happen if one or more of Iran’s proxies gets out of control. If you don’t believe me, just ask Archduke Franz Ferdinand.
Biden–quite correctly–has concluded that American credibility requires us to retaliate firmly for the deaths of three soldiers at a base in Jordan. The trick is to find targets that will send the message and put an end to further such attacks without creating further danger of escalation.
Some right-wing American politicians predictably want us to strike directly at Iran. There is a case for doing so, but the risks of escalation would increase dramatically. I suspect Biden will play it safe and limit the retaliation to the proxies.