US President Joe Biden said Saturday he hopes Iran will stand down amid recent tensions in the Middle East, Turkish Anadolu Agency reported.

“I hope so. I don’t know,” Biden told a reporter when he asked, “Will Iran stand down?” as he was leaving a grocery store in his home state of Delaware.

The Pentagon announced Friday that the US will deploy additional military assets to the Middle East amid rising tensions in the region.

“The Department of Defense continues to take steps to mitigate the possibility of regional escalation…”

“Secretary (Lloyd) Austin has ordered adjustments to U.S. military posture designed to improve U.S. force protection, to increase support for the defense of Israel, and to ensure the United States is prepared to respond to various contingencies,” it said.

Nearly 39,500 Palestinians have been martyred in nearly 10 months since the Israeli regime launched a brutal onslaught against the Gaza Strip that began Oct. 7.

The assault has sparked increased regional tensions, with the latest escalation earlier this week when Hamas leader Ismail Haniyeh was assassinated during a visit to Iran.

The Leader of the Islamic Revolution Ayatollah Ali Khamenei as the commander-in-chief of all Iranian armed forces has said that Iran will avenge Haniyeh’s martyrdom and will punish the Tel Aviv regime for violating the territorial integrity of the country.

MNA