Iran warns of retaliation if US strikes

Death toll in crackdown goes over 2,500

- REUTERS

The United States is withdrawing some personnel from bases in the Middle East, a US official said Wednesday, after a senior Iranian official said Tehran had warned neighbours it would hit American bases if Washington strikes.

With Iran's leadership trying to put down the worst domestic unrest the Islamic Republic has ever faced, Tehran is seeking to deter US President Donald Trump's repeated threats to intervene on behalf of anti-government protesters.

A US official, speaking on condition of anonymity, said the United States was withdrawing some personnel from key bases in the region as a precaution given heightened regional tensions.

Three diplomats said some personnel had already been advised to leave the main US air base in the region in Qatar, although there were no immediate signs of a large-scale evacuation of troops, as took place in the hours before an Iranian missile attack last year.