The US military carried out airstrikes in Syria against Iran-aligned groups in response to a deadly drone attack on American personnel. The attack drone was determined to be of Iranian origin, which could further escalate tensions between the US and Iran.
Blinken was speaking before Congress where lawmakers from the rival Republican Party went on the offensive over the August 2021 US withdrawal from Afghanistan.
Only a couple of dozen Trump supporters attended a protest in America's financial capital on Monday evening though, as a grand jury weighs an investigation by Manhattan District Attorney Alvin Bragg over the 2016 payment to Stormy Daniels.
"I'M BACK," Trump exclaimed, alongside a 12-second video clip that appeared to show him giving his victory speech after winning the 2016 election saying: "Sorry to keep you waiting -- complicated business."
US officials have tried to minimize Beijing's role in the region, saying it is far from supplanting the United States: much of the Middle East still sits under the Pentagon's security umbrella.