The assassination of Soleimani .. Tehran threatens and Washington is preparing and warns its citizens in the Gulf

The Iranian Revolutionary Guards Commander Hussein Salami stressed that the killing of the Quds Force commander Qassem Soleimani will be followed by what he called a strategic retaliation that ends the American presence in the region, while Washington is preparing for the Iranian response.

Salami explained that Iran's retaliation would include a wide geographical extension and would have crucial effects, adding that the killing of Soleimani would lead to cruel and appropriate revenge for the shape and nature of the American presence in the region.

For his part, an aide to Salami stressed that Iran's retaliation against America is inevitable, and that Washington should stop sending what he called empty messages, explaining that revenge for Soleimani's blood is coming and that part of it will be out of control and by revolutionary leaders in the Islamic world, he said.

Iranian President Hassan Rouhani had said earlier that his country would not forget the crime committed by the United States in assassinating Soleimani. He added, during his visit to the Soleimani family to pay his respects, that Washington will realize its mistake in the coming years.

Washington is getting ready
On the American side, CNN quoted US officials as saying that US intelligence and the Pentagon are convinced that Iran will respond to Soleimani's death within weeks, and will discuss the location and timing of that response.

The network quoted White House officials as saying that the US National Security Council formally notified congressional leaders of the report regarding the killing of Soleimani at dawn Friday during a military operation around the Baghdad airport.

Washington also called on its nationals in Saudi Arabia, the Emirates, Qatar, Bahrain and Kuwait to be cautious and cautious due to the tension in the region.

In his statement to the network, an informed American source said that Iran might retaliate by striking allies of America in Iraq and the Middle East, adding that other possible targets for the Iranian response, such as the American base in Qatar and American interests in Kuwait.

The network added, according to the source, that it was detected that vehicles carrying Grad rockets and military parts were moving towards Ain Al-Asad base in Iraq.

US President Donald Trump warned, "If Iran attacks Americans or American sites, we will hit targets in Iran with great speed and power, and that will be a warning."

"We have identified 52 Iranian sites that the US military will strike if Iran targets any Americans or American assets," Trump added.

Calm efforts
Meanwhile, international contacts between the capitals of the major countries have been active to surround the consequences of the killing of Soleimani, as Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov and his Chinese counterpart Wang Yi confirmed their countries' intention to take joint steps to settle the situation in a peaceful manner, and that they informed Iranian Foreign Minister Mohammad Javad Zarif of this.

French President Emmanuel Macron also said that everyone should prevent Iraq from turning into a field of conflict between the conflicting parties in international crises.

European Union security and foreign policy chief Jose Borrell phoned Zarif on the latest developments, stressing the need to remove tension and restraint and avoid further escalation.