In the wake of increased tensions in the Middle East after President Donald Trump ordered the killing of top Iranian General Qasem Soleimani, the United States will send about 3,000 more soldiers to the Middle East to bolster existing forces.

The troops will be sent to Kuwait as an appropriate and precautionary measure in response to increased threat levels, a Pentagon spokesperson said.

The soldiers will come from the 82nd Airborne Division at Fort Bragg, North Carolina.

According to the Associated Press, 14,000 U.S. troops have been deployed to the Middle East since May.

Secretary of State Mike Pompeo said Friday morning on CNN that the airstrike on Soleimani's convoy had come in response to an "imminent attack."

"He was actively planning in the region," he said.

Iran threatened "harsh retaliation" for those responsible for Soleimani's killing during an airstrike on his convoy near Baghdad International Airport on Thursday.

The airstrike is the latest event in rapidly escalating tensions between the two countries, including Trump's withdrawal from the Iran nuclear pact in 2018 and subsequent sanctions he imposed on Iran in order to make them come to a new deal.

More:Iran Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei vows vengeance for Gen. Qasem Soleimani's death

More:Qasem Soleimani's killing is the latest in Iran-US tensions: How we got here

In late June 2019, Trump abruptly called off airstrikes on Iran following the downing of a U.S. drone. Trump said there had been strikes planned on three different locations in response, but decided against the action after considering the potential death toll.

Democrats urged caution on further military escalation.

In a statement, House Speaker Nancy Pelosi, D-Calif., said the airstrike "risks provoking further dangerous escalation of violence," and was carried out without proper congressional authorization. Pelosi called on the Trump administration to brief Congress on the situation.

Former Vice President Joe Biden, also a Democratic presidential candidate, said Trump had "just tossed a stick of dynamite into a tinderbox."