World War 3: What will happen next after Iran pledges ‘vigorous revenge on America’?
WORLD WAR 3 fears are back today as the US reveals it killed Iran’s most influential military commander General Qasem Soleimani, head of the elite Quds force. What will happen next?
Iran: 'Adverse consequences' to Soleimani killing says Jack Straw
Iranian military commander General Qasem Soleimani was killed in a US drone strike over Iraq in the early hours of Friday. The General was killed as he left Baghdad airport with an escort from local allies of the Popular Mobilisation Units (PMU), among them the organisation’s deputy head Abu Mahdi al-Muhandis, who was also killed in the attack.
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What will happen next?
General Soleimani, 62, was responsible for commanding the Quds force, a unit of the Iranian revolutionary guard which deals with extraterritorial operations.
In the Middle East, where he directed the unit, he was regarded as a military mastermind.
At home, he commanded considerable political influence, with many people considering him second only to the country’s Supreme Leader, Ali Khamenei.
READ MORE: Why neither Obama nor Bush killed Qassem Soleimani - and why Trump did
Solemani’s death is another fracture in the ever-deteriorating Iran-US relationship, which has seen pronounced strain under Donald Trump.
Officials revealed the attack was carried out “at the direction of the president”, and Iran’s foreign minister Javad Zarif branded the move “rogue adventurism”.
Ali Khamenei has since ordered three days of mourning in Iran and vowed “severe revenge” on those behind the attack.
Iranian President Hassan Rouhani concurred in an official statement this morning, in which reaffirmed Iran’s “decisive” resistance against the US.
He said: “Soleimani’s martyrdom will make Iran more decisive to resist America’s expansionism and to defend our Islamic values.
“With no doubt, Iran and other freedom-seeking countries in the region will take his revenge.”
The Pentagon released a statement shortly after the news broke in which it said the strike was necessary to deter a future attack.
They said: “General Soleimani was actively developing plans to attack American diplomats and service members in Iraq and throughout the region.”
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“This strike was aimed at deterring future Iranian attack plans.
“The United States will continue to take all necessary action to protect our people and our interests wherever they are around the world.”
Future moves from both Mr Trump and Khamenei remain hard to predict, but US officials noted the growing possibility of attacks against the US embassy in Baghdad by Iran-backed militia before Soleimani’s death.
Thousands of pro-Iran protesters laid siege on the embassy earlier this week in protest of airstrikes in the area which killed 25 on Sunday, December 29.
The protesters, believed to be members of an Iran-backed militia, swarmed outside the embassy with chants of “death to America” and trapped diplomats inside overnight.
They managed to burn the compound’s reception building and attempted to scale the embassy walls before they dispersed on New Year’s Day.
US Defence Secretary Mark Esper said there were ”indications” of future attacks, and warned of “pre-emptive action”.
He added: “We are prepared to exercise self-defence, and we are prepared to deter further bad behaviour from these groups, all of which are sponsored, directed and resourced by Iran.”
Speaking via Twitter, Donald Trump himself warned Iran would receive "very fast and very hard" retaliation if the country took revenge on the US.
The President said the government had picked out 52 potential targets in the country, adding Iran had been "nothing but a problem" for some time.
He wrote: “Iran is talking very boldly about targeting certain USA assets as revenge for our ridding the world of their terrorist leader who had just killed an American, badly wounded many others, not to mention all of the people he had killed over his lifetime including recently hundreds of Iranian protestors.
“He was already attacking our Embassy, and preparing for additional hits in other locations.
“Iran has been nothing but problems for many years.
“Let this serve as a WARNING that if Iran strikes any Americans, or American assets, we have targeted 52 Iranian sites (representing the 52 American hostages taken by Iran many years ago), some at a very high level & important to Iran & the Iranian culture, and those targets, and Iran itself, WILL BE HIT VERY FAST AND VERY HARD.”
