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U.S. officials warn that Iran could soon retaliate against U.S. troops.

Two U.S. officials stated on Monday that the United States believes Iran will soon launch a retaliatory attack against American forces in the Middle East, but the U.S. still seeks a diplomatic solution whereby Tehran would refrain from any attacks.

Unnamed officials who discussed the assessment under condition of anonymity said that Iran's retaliatory strike could occur within the next two days.

Iran has threatened retaliation after the U.S. bombed their nuclear sites on the weekend.

U.S. officials warned Iran not to retaliate against the U.S. President Donald Trump stated after the strikes that any retaliation from Iran against the U.S. will be met with force that is far greater than the U.S. attack of the weekend.

General Dan Caine said that on Sunday, the U.S. Military had increased the protection of its troops in the area, including in Iraq, Syria and Afghanistan.

Nearly 40,000 US troops are in the Middle East. Some of these forces operate air defense systems and fighter aircraft that can detect and shoot at incoming enemy missiles, but their positions remain vulnerable.

Last week, it was reported that the Pentagon has moved aircraft and ships out of bases in the Middle East which could be vulnerable to an Iranian attack. This included aircraft being taken from the 24-hectare Al Udeid Air Base in the desert near Doha. The base is the largest U.S. military base in the Middle East and has around 10,000 troops.

Tehran has pledged to defend and retaliate.

It was still not targeting U.S. bases, or blocking a quarter of oil shipments through the Strait of Hormuz. Reporting by Phil Stewart, Idrees Ali and Alistair Bell

(source: Reuters)