Iran’s ambassador to the United Nations has warned the US “has started a military war by an act of terror” with the killing of Qassem Soleimani, as Donald Trump claimed he ordered the Quds Force general’s death to prevent war rather than provoke it.
The country’s UN diplomat declared Iran “has to act, and we will act”, while secretary general Antonio Guterres joined global calls for de-escalation as he cautioned the “world cannot afford” another Gulf War.
Meanwhile, a coffin carrying the body of Soleimani was driven through the streets of Baghdad as thousands of Iraqis mourned his and Iraq’s Popular Mobilisation Forces chief Abu Mahdi al-Muhandis’ deaths, with some chanting “death to America”.
Good morning. Follow here for all the latest updates on events in the Middle East in the wake of the US killing of Iranian general Qassem Soleimani.
Iran's UN ambassador warns US 'has started military war'
Majid Takht Ravanchi is urging the United Nations to condemn the US killing of Soleimani, which he described as "a criminal act" of "state terrorism".
In letters sent on Friday to UN secretary general Antonio Guterres and the Security Council president, Mr Ravanchi claims the US airstrike targeting Soleimani "clearly invalidates the claim of the United States that it is fighting terrorism", describing Soleimani as playing a significant role in the fight against Isis.
In an interview with CNN, Mr Ravanchi said the US has "started military war", saying Iran "has to act, and will act".
Trump claims he 'took action to stop war'
Speaking to reporters at his Mar-a-Lago resort, the US president said: "Soleimani was plotting imminent and sinister attacks on American diplomats and military personnel but we caught him in the act and terminated him.
"We took action last night to stop a war. We did not take action to start a war."
He claimed the Quds Force general "made the death of innocent people his sick passion, contributing to terrorist plots as far away as New Delhi and London".
The US president also claimed more than 1,000 Iraqis had been "tortured and killed by their own government" in recent protests – an unproven charge that Iraqi officials strenuously deny.
The US president also claimed more than 1,000 Iraqis had been "tortured and killed by their own government" in recent protests – an unproven charge that Iraqi officials strenuously deny.
Soleimani's coffin driven through streets of Baghdad
Thousands of Iraqis turned out to mourn the death of Soleimani and the Iraqi Popular Mobilisation Forces chief Abu Mahdi al-Muhandis, who was also killed in the US airstrike.
Iranian president visits Soleimani's family in Tehran
Soleimani's successor promises 'bodies of Americans all over the Middle East'
During his appointment as the new head of the Revolutionary Guards' foreign wing, Esmail Ghaani promised to avenge the death of his predecessor.
“Be patient, and you will see the bodies of Americans all over the Middle East,” he said.
Ghaani was described by Iran's supreme leader, Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, as one of the “most decorated commanders” of the Revolutionary Guards during the war with Iraq in the Eighties.
He has been deputy commander of the Guards for around 20 years.
Mr Khamenei called Soleimani a "martyr" and said the Quds Force's orders would remain exactly the same under Mr Ghaani's leadership.
Another airstrike hits medical convoy in Taji, US denies responsibility
In more violence, another airstrike almost exactly 24 hours after the one that killed Soleimani has been confirmed by the Iran-backed Popular Mobilisation Forces.
The group said the strike hit one of its medical convoys near a stadium in Taji, north of Baghdad. None of its top leaders were killed, they said.
Several US officials have now denied responsibility for the attack, including a spokesperson for the Combined Joint Task Force.
The Iraqi military has also denied the strike took place and, according to NBC's Richard Engels, said: "It's a good sign. It could have been a tipping point, a bridge too far."
UN secretary general 'deeply concerned with recent escalation'
"This is a moment in which leaders must exercise maximum restraint," Antonio Guterres warned in a statement. "The world cannot afford another war in the Gulf."
Thousands of US troops en route to Middle East
The remainder of a military unit deployed to Iraq to counter protests at the US embassy last week are being sent into the region, comprising some 3,000 troops, according to Democratic senator Chris Van Hollen.
"So clearly the administration recognizes that this action has actually dramatically increased the risks in the Middle East, increased the risks of an attack from Iran and it should be no surprise to anybody who has followed these issues that Iran does mean what it says when it says this is essentially tantamount to an act of war," Mr Van Hollen said.
John McDonnell to join protests at Downing Street
Hundreds of demonstrators are expected to protest outside Downing Street this afternoon.
The shadow chancellor John McDonnell will be joining "in solidarity with all those seeking to prevent yet another war".
'Iran will punish Americans wherever they are within Tehran's reach,' Guards commander says
Gholamali Abuhamzeh, the commander of the Revolutionary Guards in the southern province of Kerman, has claimed 35 "vital" US positions in the region are "within Iran's reach", according to the Iranian news agency, Tasnim.
Suggesting ships in the gulf could face attacks, he told Tasnim: "The Strait of Hormuz is a vital point for the West and a large number of American destroyers and warships cross there.
"Vital American targets in the region have been identified by Iran [for] a long time ... some 35 US targets in the region as well as Tel Aviv are within our reach."
Trump may have miscalculated and 'dangerous' killing of Iran's Soleimani could trigger war, says former UK foreign secretary
Former Foreign Secretary Jeremy Hunt says Donald Trump may have blundered in assassinating Iran's top military commander, calling the action “extreme”, Rob Merrick reports.
The killing of Qasem Soleimani had created a “very risky situation” in the Middle East, a “dangerous game of chicken” in which both the US and Iran gamble on the other not starting a war, he warned.
Asked if the US president had “miscalculated” in carrying out the air strike on General Soleimani’s convoy at Baghdad airport, Mr Hunt replied: “Only time will tell.”
UK citizens warned against all travel to Iraq
Pompeo claims Iraqis 'dancing in the streets' in wake of Soleimani killing, which he says averted 'imminent attack'
The US secretary of state claimed people in Iraq and Iran will view the killing as "giving them freedom". He doubled down on assertions that by slaying the Iranian general, Donald Trump had averted an "imminent attack".
He also took umbrage at allies in Europe, who he said "had not been as helpful as they could have been" in their reaction to the attacks.
“I spent the last day and a half, two days, talking to partners in the region, sharing with them what we were doing, why we were doing it, seeking their assistance. They’ve all been fantastic,” Mr Pompeo told Fox News.
“And then talking to our partners in other places that haven’t been quite as good. Frankly, the Europeans haven’t been as helpful as I wish that they could be.”
Nato has suspended its military training operations in Iraq, a spokesperson has told AFP.
Here's a clip of Trump's speech in Florida last night at the launch of his so-called "coalition of evangelicals" – a recent attempt to shore up his support ahead of the upcoming election.
The US president can be heard using similar tones to those he employed in his rambling speech announcing the killing of Isis leader al-Baghdadi. This time, Mr Trump reasserts: "He was planning a very major attack, and we got him".
The Independent's Andrew Buncombe provides some analysis of how much the threat of a looming impeachment trial in the Senate and this year's election may have impacted Donald Trump's decision to kill Qassem Soleimani.
The parallels leap from the pages of history, he says.
Qatar's foreign minister meets with Iranian leaders in Tehran
Qatar's foreign minister, Sheikh Mohammed bin Abdulrahman Al Thani, has made an unplanned trip to Iran where he met with his Iranian counterpart Mohammad Javad Zarif. The Qatari diplomat is also set to meet with president Hassan Rouhani.
Qatar hosts American forces at the Al-Udeid Air Base and shares a massive offshore oil and gas field with Tehran. It has often served as a regional mediator.
During the Saudi-led blockade in 2017, in which the kingdom accused Qatar of funding terrorism, Tehran gifted food and supplies to Qatar.
Qatar's foreign minister, Sheikh Mohammed bin Abdulrahman Al Thani, has made an unplanned trip to Iran where he met with his Iranian counterpart Mohammad Javad Zarif. The Qatari diplomat is also set to meet with president Hassan Rouhani.
Qatar hosts American forces at the Al-Udeid Air Base and shares a massive offshore oil and gas field with Tehran. It has often served as a regional mediator.
During the Saudi-led blockade in 2017, in which the kingdom accused Qatar of funding terrorism, Tehran gifted food and supplies to Qatar.
Evidence suggesting Soleimani killing averted imminent attack on US is 'razor thin'
Middle East analyst Rukmini Callimachi says US officials briefed after the drone strike on Soleimani have contradicted Trump and Mike Pence's claims that in killing the Iranian general, America averted an "imminent attack".
Ms Callimachi, who reports for the New York Times and provides analysis for NBC, said one official had described the planning for the strike as "chaotic".
Interestingly, the official also said that after the attack on an Iraqi base which killed an American defence contractor, Mr Trump was given several options for retaliation, of which killing Suleimani was the "far out option".
Mr Trump initially went with a more moderate option of strikes on the Popular Mobilisation Forces – but that was before the protests at the US embassy in Baghdad.
Anger mounts in Iraq and elsewhere as citizens mourn military commanders' killings
The Associated Press reports:
Thousands of mourners have marched in a funeral procession for Qassem Soleimani and militia leader Abu Mahdi al-Muhandis through the streets of Baghdad, which was attended by the prime minister, many chanting "America is the Great Satan" and "death to America, death to Israel".
The mourners, mostly men in black military fatigues, carried Iraqi flags and the flags of Iran-backed militias that are fiercely loyal to Soleimani.
The procession began at the Imam Kadhim shrine in Baghdad, one of the most revered sites in Shiite Islam. Mourners marched in the streets alongside militia vehicles in a solemn procession.
Mohammed Fadl, a mourner dressed in black, said the funeral is an expression of loyalty to the slain leaders. "It is a painful strike, but it will not shake us," he said.
Two helicopters hovered over the procession, which was attended by prime minister Adel Abdul-Mahdi and leaders of Iran-backed militias. The procession later made its way to the Shiite holy city of Karbala, in central Iraq.
Some protesters threatened widespread protests if the Iraqi government voted not to expel American forces from the country.
Assifa Abbas, 50, a mother of three Popular Mobilisation Forces fighters told CNN: "This strike killed our heroes but it created a thousand more Hajji Soleimanis and Muhandis's. If the parliament doesn't vote to expel the Americans, it will see the true face of the Iraqi street."
Previously divided parties in Iraq are also now coming together in their condemnation of America's actions.
Dr Ali Al-abadi, who runs a makeshift clinic in Tahrir Square, where he has been helping injured anti-corruption protesters, told the network: "There's no debating it, we are all against the American attack. The whole point of us being here is in support of Iraq's sovereignty so we're against all kinds of interference."
In Iran, three days of mourning are now underway. On Saturday, billboards appeared on major streets showing Soleimani and carrying the warning from Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei that "harsh revenge" awaits the US.
Iranian state television also aired images of a ceremony honouring Soleimani at a mosque in the Shiite holy city of Qom, where a red flag was unfurled above the minarets. Red flags in Shiite tradition symbolise both blood spilled unjustly and serve as a call to avenge a person who is slain.
Illustrating Soleimani's regional reach, Palestinian factions in the Gaza Strip, including the territory's Hamas rulers, opened a mourning site for the slain general and dozens gathered to burn American and Israeli flags. Ismail Radwan, a senior Hamas official, said the killing of Soleimani was "a loss for Palestine and the resistance."
Near the US consulate in Lahore, Pakistan, demonstrators (pictured) also burned US and Israeli flags, while holding images of Soleimani.
