Huge crowds in Iran for commander's funeral, daughter warns U.S. of 'dark day'
DUBAI/WASHINGTON - Iran's supreme leader wept in grief with hundreds of thousands of mourners thronging Tehran's streets on Monday for the funeral of military commander Qassem Soleimani, killed by a U.S. drone on the orders of U.S. President Donald Trump.
General Esmail Ghaani, the new commander of the Quds Force, the elite unit of Iran's Revolutionary Guards charged with overseas operations, promised to"continue martyr Soleimani's cause as firmly as before with the help of God, and in return for his martyrdom we aim to rid the region of America". Soleimani was a national hero to many - even those who do not consider themselves supporters of Iran's clerical rulers.
He notably mobilised Shi'ite Muslim militia forces in Iraq that helped to crush Islamic State, the Sunni militant group that had seized control of swathes of Syria and Iraq in 2013-14.Prayers at Soleimani's funeral in Tehran, which was later due to move to his southern home city of Kerman, were led by Khamenei, who wept as he spoke.
Since quitting the deal, the United States has imposed new sanctions on Iran, saying it wanted to halt Iranian oil exports, the main source of government revenues. Iran's economy has been in freefall as the currency has plunged.
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