Tehran said American bases in the Middle East could face reprisals if the U.S. helped repel Iranian attacks on Israel.

The United States is the main international backer of Israel, Iran's biggest regional foe. It is also a close ally of Sunni Gulf monarchies which for years pursued their own rivalry with the Islamic Republic, seeing it as their main regional threat.

Israel's defense minister warned Saturday that ''Tehran will burn'' if Iran continues firing missiles on Israel after at least three people died and dozens were wounded Saturday morning, following a series of blistering Israeli attacks on the heart of Iran's nuclear program and its armed forces.

Iran's top diplomat said Saturday that talks with the United States were "unjustifiable" after Israeli strikes on his country.

The United States has pulled some diplomatic staff and military families out of the Middle East, citing unspecified regional security risks.

Interviews with half a dozen senior Iranian officials show that they were not expecting Israel to strike before another round of talks.

Donald Trump called on Iran to finalize a nuclear deal after Israeli strikes killed multiple military and nuclear officials.

James Anderson, former acting Under Secretary of Defense for Policy during the first Trump administration, told Newsweek what Iran's possible next steps may be.