US drone attack kills Iran’s most powerful military commander

Iran’s top military commander, General Qasem Soleimani, was killed in Iraq by a US drone attack early on Friday.

Soleimani, 62, headed Iran’s elite Quds Force and was the brains behind Iranian military operations in the Middle East.

Considered to be Iran’s most powerful military commander, Soleimani was killed at Baghdad airport, along with others from Iran-backed militias, in an airstrike ordered by US President Donald Trump.

The killing marks a major escalation in tensions between the US and Iran.

Iran’s Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei vowed “severe revenge”. He also announced three days of national mourning.

Soleimani’s Quds Force, an elite unit of the Iranian Revolutionary Guards, reported directly to the Ayatollah.

The US has called Soleimani and the Quds Force terrorists and holds them responsible for the deaths of hundreds of US personnel.

A statement from the Pentagon said Soleimani “was actively developing plans to attack American diplomats and service members in Iraq and throughout the region”.

Meanwhile, global oil prices have soared by more than 4% in the wake of the attack.