Washington to closely watch next 48 hours as it braces for potential retaliation from Iran

The Trump administration is bracing for potential retaliation from Iran following the direct US air strikes conducted on three Iranian nuclear sites in the early hours of June 22.

Two unnamed US defence officials and a senior White House official stated that the next 48 hours will be of particular concern, according to American NBC news outlet as reported by Caliber.Az.

They pointed out that it remains unclear whether any retaliation from Iran would target overseas or domestic locations, or potentially both.

The media report recalls that two officials familiar with military planning have stated earlier in the week that Iran "already has plans on the books to target US bases and assets in the Middle East if need arises."

According to US media reports, there are over 40,000 American service members and civilians stationed in the Middle East across bases in Syria, Iraq, Jordan, Kuwait, Bahrain, Qatar and the United Arab Emirates.

US overseas military bases, as well as billions of dollars in military assets, have been at their highest state of alert for months amid the rising tensions in the Middle East.

Ever since the launch of Israel's military air campaign on Iran on June 13, the officials who spoke to the outlet earlier in the week said concerns were heightened even more about the potential for attacks on US assets from Iran or its proxies in the region. 

By Nazrin Sadigova