Iran vows to take "harsh revenge” on US military after general, Qassem Soleimani's killing.
General Soleimani was killed last week on Friday by a drone strike in Baghdad, Iraq, as he left the airport in a convoy ordered by US President Donald Trump.
General Qassem is blamed by the US for the several rocket attacks that shook Central Baghdad including the Green Zone near the US embassy.
No group immediately claimed responsibility for the rocket attacks but Pro-Iranian militants. The Iraqi military, however, said nobody had been hurt.
Iran could also revenge through allies further afield, in Lebanon, Yemen or the Gaza Strip.
Writing on Twitter, Mr Trump accused Iran of "talking very boldly about targeting certain USA assets".
He said the US had identified 52 Iranian sites, some "at a very high level & important to Iran & the Iranian culture", and warned they would be "HIT VERY FAST AND HARD" if Tehran struck at the US.
The president said the targets represented 52 Americans who were held hostage in Iran for more than a year from late 1979 after they were taken from the US embassy in Tehran.
The US branded the commander and the Quds Force terrorists, holding them responsible for the deaths of hundreds of US personnel.
The U.S. also blamed Iran for the sabotage of oil tankers last year in the Strait of Hormuz, through which 20% of the world’s oil passes.
Iran denied those allegations but acknowledged shooting down a U.S. surveillance drone in June.
Iran has also been doing a lot of probing of U.S. industrial systems in recent years — trying to gain access — but has limited its destructive attacks to targets in the Middle East such as the Saudi oil company, experts say.
The targeted killing is poised to strengthen Iran-backed forces and political factions in the face of anti-government protesters who oppose Tehran’s influence.
Iran’s allies can now present themselves as upholding national sovereignty against foreign aggression.
In response to Iranian threats of revenge, the US has sent 3,000 more troops to the Middle East. The United States has put themselves in a corner and we are yet to see Iran’s next move.
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