BBC News
January 5, 2020
Hundreds of thousands of mourners have turned out in Iran to receive home the remains of Qasem Soleimani, the general killed by a US drone strike in Iraq.
In Ahvaz, where Soleimani served during the Iran-Iraq war (1980-88), mourners chanted: “Death to America.”
Soleimani was the architect of Iran’s sphere of influence across the Middle East, and was considered to be the country’s second most powerful man.
His assassination marked a significant escalation between Iran and the US.
Iran’s Supreme Leader Ayatollah Khamenei, who had a close personal relationship with Soleimani, has warned of “severe revenge” for the attack, and analysts say Iran may pursue cyber-attacks against the US or traditional attacks on US targets or interests in the Middle East.
US President Donald Trump, who authorised the attack on Soleimani on Friday – an option refused by both Presidents George W Bush and Barack Obama as too risky – said on Saturday that the US was ready to strike 52 sites “important to Iran & the Iranian culture”.
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Article URL : https://www.bbc.com/news/world-middle-east-50997841