U.S. should expect Iran to retaliate, defence secretary says

FILE PHOTO: U.S. Defense Secretary Mark Esper leaves after a press briefing at Pentagon in Arlington, Virginia, U.S., December 20, 2019. REUTERS/Yuri Gripas

WASHINGTON (Reuters) - The United States should expect Iran to retaliate over the U.S. killing of Iranian military commander Qassem Soleimani, Defense Secretary Mark Esper said on Tuesday, as a top Tehran general vowed a "hard and definitive revenge."

Esper declined to detail any intelligence driving that assessment or comment on Iranian military activities that could signal Tehran's intentions. Reuters has reported that Iranian missile forces have been put on a heightened state of alert.