US President Donald Trump has issued a threat to Iran, after blaming the nation for an attack on the US embassy in neighbouring Iraq.
The American compound was attacked by a crowd of angry demonstrators furious over the deaths of militia members killed by US air strikes.
President Trump tweeted on New Year’s Eve that Iran “will pay a very big price” for any damage or loss of life.
“This is not a warning, it is a threat,” he said.
The angry crowd set a guard post in the street on fire and breached a reception area in the compound, forcing US troops to fire teargas on the protesters.
Iran, meanwhile, denied Mr Trump’s accusation that it had somehow orchestrated the incident, condemning the “audacity” of the claim.
The militia targeted by the US air strikes was an Iranian-backed force, the Kataib Hezbollah militia in western Iraq and eastern Syria.
At least 25 fighters died in the US bombing of their bases on Sunday, which Washington said was a retaliation for the death of an American civilian worker killed during a rocket attack on an Iraqi military base.
