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The United States has warned its allies in the Middle East that military strikes on Iran could resume after next week's midterm elections and told them to prepare for possible retaliation from Tehran, according to two US diplomats who spoke to the Associated Press on condition of anonymity.

Allies were told that any strikes could last several days and that Iran might respond by targeting energy facilities and critical infrastructure, and were urged to take precautions.

Warning sent to regional allies

Washington alerted countries in the region to possible attacks on Iran and to the response Tehran could mount, the two US diplomats told the Associated Press. They were not named because they were not authorized to speak publicly.

The warning said potential strikes could continue for several days. Allies were told that Iranian retaliation might hit energy facilities and critical infrastructure and were asked to take protective measures.

The Wall Street Journal had earlier reported that Washington warned Gulf countries to prepare for a possible military escalation with Iran.

Trump has not decided on next steps

US President Donald Trump has not yet made a final decision on whether to launch new strikes on Iran, the diplomats said. Trump's threats of attacks and the warnings sent to US allies in the Middle East and the Gulf have raised fears that broad strikes could resume in the region.

Trump has focused in recent weeks on the campaigns of Republican candidates ahead of the November 3 midterm elections and has given no clear statement about the next steps against Iran.

Rising petrol prices caused by the strikes on Iran have pushed up costs across nearly every sector of the global economy and hurt the Republican campaigns. Candidates faced voters burdened by fuel prices and the pressure of the war's economic consequences.

US military presence in the Gulf expanded

Late last month the Pentagon sent the aircraft carrier USS Theodore Roosevelt and amphibious assault ships carrying Marines from San Diego to the Persian Gulf to reinforce its military presence in the region. About 9,000 troops were deployed.

A US official said that after the deployment, more than 20,000 sailors and Marines and hundreds of aircraft could be positioned in the region, and that a naval presence of that scale had been seen only a few times in the past 20 years.

The US Navy kept three aircraft carriers in the Middle East at the same time in April for the first time since 2003.

Key takeaways

• Two US diplomats told the AP that allies were warned strikes on Iran could resume after next week's midterms.
• Any strikes could last several days and Iran might target energy facilities and critical infrastructure, the warning said.
• Trump has not made a final decision on new attacks on Iran, according to the diplomats.
• The Pentagon sent the USS Theodore Roosevelt and about 9,000 troops to the Persian Gulf late last month.