U.S. airstrikes on Iran-backed militias in Iraq and Syria show the Biden administration won’t hesitate to protect its interests in the region, Secretary of State Antony Blinken said Monday, after the move injected new uncertainty into diplomacy over Iran’s nuclear program. The raids on operational and weapons storage facilities came in response to attacks on U.S. interests and were a “necessary, appropriate and deliberate action” designed to limit the risk of escalation, Blinken said Monday. Oil markets shrugged off the move with traders focused on a Thursday meeting of the OPEC+ bloc. There was no immediate reaction to the Sunday attacks from Iran, where President-elect Ebrahim Raisi’s next moves are being closely watched. Iran and world powers have been locked in weeks of talks in Vienna that could see sanctions on the Islamic Republic ease in return for hemming in its contentious nuclear program. Diplomats may meet in the coming days, although no new date has been set. The U.S. strikes should “send a clear and unambiguous deterrent message,” Blinken said in Rome alongside his Italian counterpart. “I hope very much that it is received by those who are intended to receive it.” The strikes were carried out on two locations in Syria and one location in Iraq. The U.S. has said they were aimed at deterring future attacks on U.S. interests in Iraq, where the U.S. is aiding government forces in efforts to defeat Islamic State. The Iran-backed militias have begun using armed drones, which are more accurate and harder to detect and shoot down than rockets. Subscribe to our YouTube channel: https://bit.ly/2TwO8Gm Bloomberg Quicktake brings you live global news and original shows spanning business, technology, politics and culture. Make sense of the stories changing your business and your world. To watch complete coverage on Bloomberg Quicktake 24/7, visit http://www.bloomberg.com/qt/live, or watch on Apple TV, Roku, Samsung Smart TV, Fire TV and Android TV on the Bloomberg app. Have a story to tell? Fill out this survey for a chance to have it featured on Bloomberg Quicktake: https://cor.us/surveys/27AF30 Connect with us on… YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/user/Bloomberg Breaking News on YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/c/BloombergQuickTakeNews Twitter: https://twitter.com/quicktake Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/quicktake Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/quicktake