Iran’s supreme leader wept in grief with hundreds of thousands of mourners thronging Tehran’s streets on Monday for the funeral of military commander Qassem Soleimani, killed by a US drone on the orders of US President Donald Trump.
As the coffins of General Qassem Soleimani and Iraqi militia leader Abu Mahdi al-Muhandis, who also died in Friday’s attack in Baghdad, were passed over the heads of mourners, Soleimani’s successor vowed to expel US forces from the region in revenge.
The killing of Soleimani, the architect of Iran’s drive to extend its influence across the Middle East, has stoked concern around the globe that a broader regional conflict could erupt.
Trump has listed 52 Iranian targets, including cultural sites, that could be hit if Iran retaliates with attacks on Americans or US assets, although US officials sought to play down the president’s reference to cultural targets.
General Esmail Ghaani, the new commander of the Quds Force, the elite unit of Iran’s Revolutionary Guards charged with overseas operations, promised to “continue martyr Soleimani’s cause as firmly as before with the help of God, and in return for his martyrdom we aim to rid the region of America”.
“God the Almighty has promised to take martyr Soleimani’s revenge,” he told state television. “Certainly, actions will be taken.”
Other political and military leaders have made similar, unspecific threats. Iran, which lies at the mouth of the key Gulf oil shipping route, has a range of proxy forces in the region through which it could act.
The crowd in Tehran, which state media said numbered in the millions, recalled the masses that gathered in 1989 for the funeral of the Islamic Republic’s founder, Ayatollah Ruhollah Khomeini.–Reuters
NATO to review Iraq mission after Soleimani killing
NATO’s top officials are meeting on Monday to discuss the future of the alliance’s mission in Iraq, as Middle East tensions mount following the US-ordered killing of senior Iranian general Qassem Soleimani.
Ambassadors from the 29 allies gathered at their Brussels headquarters with Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg expected to brief journalists afterwards.
US officials are expected to give an update to the group after Washington killed Soleimani, Iran’s commander of the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps’ Quds Force, in a US drone strike just outside Baghdad airport on Friday.
“The North Atlantic Council will address the situation in the region,” a NATO official said.
“The secretary general decided to convene the meeting of NATO ambassadors following consultations with allies.”
Stoltenberg had spoken by phone with the US secretary of defence, Mark Esper since Friday’s strike, but the killing of Soleimani surprised many of Washington’s allies – and triggered calls for de-escalation.
The situation has also deteriorated in Iraq, where the Parliament on Sunday called for the 5,200 US soldiers deployed there to leave.
NATO maintains a 500-strong training mission in Iraq, preparing local forces to take on Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant (ISIL/ISIS) fighters but this would be in doubt if coalition forces pull out.
“The big issue is the future of the NATO mission in Iraq after the demand of the Iraqi parliament yesterday to remove US-led coalition and foreign forces. We have to see what we will do now,” a NATO diplomat told AFP news agency.
On Saturday, a NATO spokesman said the mission, which involves several hundred allied personnel, was continuing “but training activities are currently suspended”.– Al Jazeera
