Hundreds of thousands of Iranians gathered for a funeral procession in the town of Ahvaz to commemorate Qassem Soleimani, a top Iranian general whose death in a US drone strike has stoked fears of a new war in the Middle East.
A sea of mourners dressed in black gathered in the south-western city, some holding portraits of the popular commander who led Iran’s elite Quds Force and who died in a targeted US killing in Baghdad.
Soleimani, 62, was considered one of Iran’s most influential military leaders, wielding influence in Iraq, Syria and other parts of the Middle East where Iran has a foothold.
US President Donald Trump warned late Saturday that if Tehran carries out its promised “harsh revenge” for the killing, then the US will target 52 sites in the Islamic Republic.
Trump did not specify the sites but described the targets on Twitter as being “at a very high level & important to Iran & the Iranian culture.”
The sites, Trump added, “WILL BE HIT VERY FAST AND VERY HARD. The USA wants no more threats!”
Trump ordered the strike on Soleimani, justifying the move by saying that Soleimani “was plotting to kill many more” Americans.
Soleimani’s remains were brought from Baghdad to Ahvaz in a coffin draped in the Iranian flag just hours before the start of the the procession, which was broadcast live on several Iranian TV channels.
Read the article by Farshid Motahari (DPA) in The Canberra Times.