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A10 WORLD NEWS
Tuesday 7 January 2020
Throngs mourn, Iranian leader weeps for general slain by US

By NASSER KARIMI Those proxies likely will be
JON GAMBRELL involved in any operation
Associated Press targeting U.S. interests in
TEHRAN, Iran (AP) — Iran's the Middle East or else-
supreme leader wept Mon- where.
day over the casket of a Already, the U.S. Embassy
top general killed in a U.S. in Saudi Arabia warned
airstrike, his prayers joining Americans "of the height-
the wails of mourners who ened risk of missile and
flooded the streets of Teh- drone attacks." In Leba-
ran demanding retaliation non, the leader of the Ira-
against America for a slay- nian-backed militant group
ing that's drastically raised Hezbollah said Soleimani's
tensions across the Middle killing made U.S. military
East. bases, warships and service
The funeral for Revolution- members across the region
ary Guard Gen. Qassem fair game for attacks.
Soleimani drew a crowd "We promise to continue
said by police to be in down martyr Soleimani's
the millions in the Iranian path as firmly as before with
capital, filling thorough- help of God, and in return
fares and side streets as for his martyrdom we aim
far as the eye could see. to get rid of America from
Although there was no in- Mourners attend a funeral ceremony for Iranian Gen. Qassem Soleimani and his comrades, who the region," Ghaani said.
were killed in Iraq in a U.S. drone strike on Friday, at the Enqelab-e-Eslami (Islamic Revolution)
dependent estimate, aerial square in Tehran, Iran, Monday, Jan. 6, 2020. The head of the Guard's
footage and Associated Associated Press aerospace program, Gen.
Press journalists suggested Amir Ali Hajizadeh, suggest-
a turnout of at least 1 mil- "The families of the Ameri- will be buried Tuesday in his Mardani said. "Here will be- ed Iran's response wouldn't
lion, and the throngs were can soldiers ... will spend hometown of Kerman. come their graveyard." stop with a single attack.
visible on satellite images of their days waiting for the Soleimani's successor, Es- Ghaani made his own "Firing a couple of missiles,
Tehran taken Monday. death of their children," she mail Ghaani, stood near threat in an interview hitting a base or even kill-
Authorities later brought his said to cheers. Khamenei's side as did shown Monday on Iranian ing Trump is not valuable
remains and those of the Her language mirrored President Hassan Rouhani state television. "God the enough to compensate for
others to Iran's holy city of warnings by other Iranian and other leaders of the Is- Almighty has promised to martyr Soleimani's blood,"
Qom, turning out another officials who say an attack lamic Republic. While Iran get his revenge, and God Hajizadeh said on state TV.
massive crowd. on U.S. military interests in recently faced nationwide is the main avenger. Cer- "The only thing that can
The outpouring of grief was the Middle East looms. Ira- protests over government- tainly actions will be taken," compensate for his blood
an unprecedented honor nian state TV and others set gasoline prices that re- he said. is the complete removal of
for a man viewed by Irani- online shared a video that portedly led to the killing of Markets reacted Monday America from the region."
ans as a national hero for his showed Trump's American over 300, Soleimani's death to the tensions, sending On the nuclear deal, Iran
work leading the Guard's flag tweet following Solei- has brought together peo- international benchmark now says it won't observe
expeditionary Quds Force. mani's killing turn into a cof- ple from across the coun- Brent crude above $70 a the accord's restrictions
The U.S. blames him for the fin, the "likes" of the tweet try's political spectrum, barrel for part of the day on fuel enrichment, on the
killing of American troops replaced by over 143,000 temporarily silencing that and gold to a seven-year size of its enriched urani-
in Iraq and accused him "killed." anger. high. The Middle East re- um stockpile and on its re-
of plotting new attacks just Supreme Leader Ayatollah Demonstrators burned Is- mains a crucial source of search and development
before his death Friday in a Ali Khamenei prayed over raeli and U.S. flags, carried oil, and Iran in the past has activities. That's a much-
drone strike at Baghdad's the caskets of Soleimani a flag-draped U.S. coffin or threatened the Strait of harsher step than they had
airport. Soleimani also led and others at Tehran Uni- displayed effigies of Trump. Hormuz, the narrow mouth planned to take before the
forces in Syria backing versity after a brief mourn- Some described Trump as of the Persian Gulf through attack.
President Bashar Assad in a ing period at the capital's a legitimate target. which 20% of all the world's German Chancellor Ange-
long war. famed Musalla mosque, Mohammad Milad Rashidi, oil traded passes. la Merkel, French President
His slaying already has The mosque was where a 26-year-old university NATO Secretary-General Emmanuel Macron and
pushed Tehran to aban- prayers were said over the graduate, predicted more Jens Stoltenberg, chairing British Prime Minister Boris
don the remaining limits of body of Ayatollah Ruhollah tension ahead. emergency talks with the Johnson have urged Iran to
its 2015 nuclear deal with Khomeini, the founder of "Trump demolished the alliance's ambassadors in "withdraw all measures" not
world powers as his succes- the Islamic Republic, after chance for any sort of pos- Brussels, called for "restraint in line with the deal.
sor and others vow to take his death in 1989. sible agreement between and de-escalation," add- Iran insisted it remains open
revenge. In Baghdad, the Khamenei, who had a close Tehran and Washington," ing: "A new conflict would to negotiations with Euro-
parliament has called for relationship with Soleimani Rashidi said. "There will be be in no one's interest." pean partners over its nu-
the expulsion of all Ameri- and referred to him as a more conflict in the future Ghaani, a longtime Solei- clear program. And it did
can troops from Iraqi soil, "living martyr," broke down for sure." mani deputy, has taken not back off from earlier
something analysts fear in tears four times while of- Another mourner, Azita over as the head of the promises that it wouldn't
could allow Islamic State fering Muslim prayers for Mardani, warned that Iran Revolutionary Guard's seek a nuclear weapon.
militants to mount a come- the dead. "will retaliate for every drop Quds, or Jerusalem, Force, However, the announce-
back. "Oh God, you took their of his blood." answerable only to Khame- ment represents the clear-
Soleimani's daughter, Ze- spirits out of their bodies "We are even thankful to nei. Ghaani has been sanc- est nuclear proliferation
inab, directly threatened as they were rolling in their (Trump) because he made tioned by the U.S. since threat yet made by Iran
the U.S. military in the Mid- blood for you and were us angry and this fury will 2012 for his work funding its since Trump unilaterally
dle East while also warning martyred in your way," lead to shedding of their global operations, includ- withdrew from the accord
President Donald Trump, Khamenei said as the blood in the Persian Gulf ing its work with proxies in in 2018 and reimposed
whom she called "crazy." crowd wailed. Soleimani and the region's countries," Iraq, Lebanon and Yemen. sanctions last year. q