After US strikes back at militia group in Iraq, Tehran warns Trump to not escalate tensions

Iranian leaders have warned United States President Donald Trump on Friday to not escalate tensions in the Middle East. The warning comes after the US forces launched a retaliatory attack on Thursday on Iran-backed Shia militia who had launched a deadly rocket attack a day earlier that left two American and one British soldier dead in Camp Taji in Iraq.

"Instead of dangerous actions and baseless accusations, Trump should reconsider the presence and behaviour of his troops in the area," Iranian foreign ministry spokesman Abbas Mousavi said in a statement, hours after the US strikes.

The Taji base hosts a number of American and British soldiers. Besides the three dead, 12 other American soldiers and one British soldier were also wounded in Wednesday's attack.

The Pentagon released a statement following the strikes confirming they were conducted in response to the rocket attacks on Wednesday.

"The United States conducted defensive precision strikes against Kata'ib Hizbollah facilities across Iraq," Department of Defence said in a statement.

The US military strike was "proportional," according to the US military source, and hit multiple bases used by the Kata'eb Hezbollah, the Iranian-backed militia that fired 30 Katyusha rockets on Wednesday at the Taji base.

The US has two aircraft carriers placed in the region, USS Harry S Truman in the Arabian Sea and USS Dwight D Eisenhower in the Red Sea. According to Fox News, Tomahawk missiles were not used, only fighter jets were used in the retaliatory attack.