The pentagon confirmed that US forces had killed Gen Soleimani
The head of the Iranian Revolutionary Guards’ elite Quds Force, General Qasem Soleimani, has been killed by US forces in Iraq.
The Pentagon confirmed to journalists that he was killed “at the direction of the president”.
Soleimani was being driven by car at Baghdad airport alongside local Iran-backed militias when he was hit by a US air strike.
Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, Iran’s Supreme Leader said “severe revenge awaits the criminals” behind the attack.
He also announced three days of mourning. Gen Soleimani was a major figure in the Iranian regime.
His Quds Force reported directly to Khamenei and he was hailed as a heroic national figure.
But the US has called the commander and the Quds Force terrorists, and holds them responsible for the deaths of hundreds of US personnel.
