Tensions have been escalating between the US and Iran in recent days, starting with a rocket attack on December 27 that resulted in the death of a US contractor and four US servicemen.

The attack was blamed on an Iran-backed militia. The US retaliated on Friday by killing top Iran general Qassem Soleimani while he was leaving Baghdad's airport.

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US-Iranian relations have deteriorated in recent days, thanks to a series of violent incidents in Iraq.

The above map shows where tensions have flared between the two countries, which are fighting for influence in the war-torn Middle Eastern nation a little smaller than the size of Alaska.

While the animosity between the US and Iran spans decades, the most recent tensions stem from a December 27 rocket strike on an Iraqi military base in Kirkuk, northeastern Iraq, which resulted in a US contractor and four US servicemen dying.

The US blamed the attack on Kataeb Hezbollah, an Iran-backed militia, and retaliated by conducting airstrikes on Iran-backed militia bases in al-Qaim, northwestern Iraq.

This led to violent demonstrations outside the US Embassy in Baghdad, prompting the evacuation of the US ambassador.

The tensions culminated Friday with President Donald Trump ordering a drone strike that killed top Iran general Qassem Soleimani as he was leaving the Baghdad airport.