The latest on the US-Iran crisis

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UK Foreign Secretary Dominic Raab arrives to meet with Prime Minister Boris Johnson on January 6 in London, England. Credit: Peter Summers/Getty Images

British Foreign Secretary Dominic Raab will meet with his French and German counterparts in Brussels Tuesday to discuss tensions between the US and Iran, according to a statement from the UK Foreign Office.

All three will “push for deescalation,” said the statement. The trio will also discuss the Iran nuclear deal?following Tehran’s announcement on Sunday that it is withdrawing from further commitments to the agreement.

“A number of people” have died in a stampede at General Qasem Soleimani’s funeral Tuesday in his hometown of Kerman, Iran’s Press TV reported, citing the head of Iran’s emergency organization.?

Press TV is reporting “millions” of people have taken to the streets of Kerman to pay their respects to Soleimani.?CNN has not been able to verify this figure.

The Middle East should brace for all types of retaliation following General Qasem Soleimani’s death, due to his “cult status” both inside and outside of Iran, European officials told CNN.

Officials are preparing for the possibility of Iran accelerating the funding and equipping of regional proxies with conventional weapons to target the US and possibly its allies across the region.?They note that this decentralized approach would make it more difficult to defend personnel and buildings.

Other concerns include a concerted set of disruptive or degrading cyber-attacks, similar to those we’ve seen in the past.

Officials told CNN the size and capability of the US military – along with President Trump’s demonstration that he will act aggressively – make it unlikely that a full-scale military confrontation will occur. However, forecasting is difficult as it is hard to predict what triggers Trump’s actions.

Iran could respond in both covert and open ways in order to show their power to US and international audiences, they added.

If Iran does respond with a high-profile attack, it is important to remember that the US and Iran are entering their 41st year of conflict. But officials also say that the death of Soleimani is the first time the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) have paid a major price for their campaigns in Iraq and throughout the region.?

Any high profile short-term response could take weeks rather than days due to heightened protective measures now in place, the officials say.

Iranian lawmakers have unanimously voted for a motion declaring all US forces as “terrorists” in response to the assassination of Iranian General Qassem Soleimani last Friday, according to Iran’s state-news agency IRNA.

The vote took place during the country’s parliamentary session Tuesday, IRNA reported.?After the plan was approved, delegates chanted, “Death to America.”

In the same session, the parliament approved an expanded budget for the Quds Force, which Soleimani headed before his death.

Iranian Foreign Minister Javad Zarif

Speaking to CNN in Tehran, Iranian Foreign Minister Javad Zarif said Tuesday that the country is not scared of further US military action following the airstrike which killed top general Qasem Soleimani in Iraq.

Zarif refused to be drawn into how Tehran might retaliate for Soleimani’s killing, though experts have pointed to numerous US vulnerabilities across the region in countries where Iran has proxies and allies.

“We have people on our side in this region,” Zarif said. “Beautiful military equipment doesn’t rule the world, people rule the world. President Trump has to wake up to the reality that the people of this region are enraged, the people of this region want the United States out.”

Iranians have taken to the streets in their hundreds of thousands in recent days to mourn Soleimani, most recently in the general’s hometown of Kerman today.

“We are here, and we will not move,” Zarif said. “We have been here for millennia, the United States is a newcomer.”

Referencing Trump’s threats of further strikes against Iran should Tehran respond to Soleimani’s killing, Zarif said that Trump “has to apologize, he has to change course.”

Iran’s Foreign Minister Javad Zarif blamed Washington’s hardline policies against Tehran for destabilizing the Middle East and setting back peace in the region.

“What is important is for the Trump regime to realize is that everything in this region was improving following the JCPOA,” Zarif told CNN’s Fred Pleitgen in Tehran, referring to the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action, the nuclear deal agreed under former US President Barack Obama.

“We saw normal elections in Iraq, normal elections in Lebanon … we had the reduction of tensions in Syria … what happened?” he said. “The United States started a maximum pressure campaign, terrorizing the Iranian people, making it difficult for Iranians to even get food and medicine.”

Zarif said that “a war was started a long time ago by the United States, the United States destroyed stability in this region, the United States undermined security in this region.”

Pointing to the effects of crippling sanctions placed on Tehran by Washington, Zarif said that “at least in the last month 25 Iranian babies died because of (tuberculosis) and because of US sanctions.”

By threatening to target Iranian cultural sites if Tehran responds to the airstrike which killed general Qasem Soleimani, US President Donald Trump showed the international community that “he has no respect for international law and is prepared to commit war crimes – attacking cultural sites is a war crime,” Iran’s top diplomat said Tuesday.

Speaking to CNN’s Fred Pleitgen in Tehran, Iranian Foreign Minister Javad Zarif said that Trump’s actions and statements showed “he doesn’t care about international law.”

The strike against Soleimani while he was in Iraq was an act of “state terrorism,” Zarif added, reiterating that Tehran will mount a response.

“This is an act of aggression against Iran, and amounts to an armed attack against Iran and we will respond. But we will respond proportionally not disproportionally,” he said. “We will respond lawfully, we are not lawless people like President Trump.”

Speaking to CNN’s Fred Pleitgen in Tehran, Iranian Foreign Minister Javad Zarif said that US President Donald Trump should take a message from the huge crowds who have turned out across Iran to mourn slain general Qasem Soleimani.

“President Trump, after watching the crowds yesterday, must stop threatening these people who will be further enraged by his threats – his threats will not frighten us,” Zarif said.

He was speaking shortly after Soleimani’s funeral was held in the general’s hometown of Kerman, southeast of the capital Tehran.

Zarif added that Americans should also be asking questions about the airstrike that killed Soleimani, and the potential ramifications.

“Has (Trump) made Americans more secure? Do Americans feel more secure, or more welcome in this region?” Zarif said.

“How do (Americans) feel about people chanting … that they should leave? How do they fell about that?”

The German military has withdrawn some of its troops from Iraq, a spokesman for the country’s Ministry of Defense told CNN. About 35 soldiers in the cities of Baghdad and Taji have been temporarily moved to Kuwait and Jordan, the spokesman said.

Some German troops remain deployed in the Iraqi city of Erbil in a training capacity, the spokesman added.

Iranian mourners gather for the burial of slain top general Qasem Soleimani in his hometown Kerman on January 7, 2020.

Huge crowds have taken to the streets in Kerman, the hometown of slain Iranian general Qasem Soleimani, whose funeral is being held today.

Similar crowds swarmed multiple Iranian cities over the weekend to condemn Soleimani’s killing by the US in an airstrike near Baghdad airport in Iraq on Friday.

Iranian state television said millions of people attended Soleimani’s funeral in Tehran on Monday, although this figure has yet to be verified.

In the dog days of 2017, when it appeared North Korea and the United States were on the path to war,?a debate raged in the halls of the White House.?

If the US military conducted a limited series of strikes on North Korea, would it scare Kim Jong Un enough to stop the young leader’s dogged pursuit for nuclear weapons and ballistic missiles?

North Korea’s answer, at least in state media, was a resounding no. Pyongyang warned it would respond to any military action against its sovereign territory with force of its own.

But behind North Korea’s colorful threats was always an important message: Pyongyang is developing nuclear weapons and ballistic missiles capable of reaching the US, so decision makers in Washington will think twice about whether to conduct a so-called “bloody nose” strike or, say, kill a general whom is deemed a terrorist and an imminent threat.

This is likely the lens through which North Korea views the Trump administration’s decision to?kill Iranian commander Qasem Soleimani in a drone strike on Friday, a strike that has thrown the Middle East into crisis and inflamed tensions between Tehran and Washington even further. Washington didn’t have to fear nuclear retaliation with Iran. But it does with North Korea.

Read more here

In the wake of the?US strike that killed Qasem Soleimani?in Baghdad last week, Iran’s leaders will likely be looking to its alliances with Russia and China to counterbalance American aggression, even as Tehran?considers possible retaliation?for the death of one of its most popular military figures.

China in particular could play a key role in containing the fallout and preventing another Middle Eastern conflict.?In a call?with his Iranian counterpart Saturday, Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi condemned the “military adventurist act by the US” which “goes against basic norms governing international relations and will aggravate tensions and turbulence in the region.”

A statement added that Tehran hoped China could “play an important role in preventing escalation of regional tensions.”

Such sentiments are also likely shared well beyond Iran’s borders, including among other Middle Eastern powers which are no fans of Tehran. The killing of Soleimani could present Beijing with a major opportunity, not only to prevent another disastrous war, but to increase its influence in the region, supplanting an increasingly unpredictable Washington.

Read more here

The funeral for Qasem Soleimani is starting in his hometown of Kerman, southeast of the Iranian capital Tehran.

His body will be carried from Azadi Square in Kerman to his final resting place.

Speaking with the President of the European Council, Charles Michel, Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau “emphasized the need for de-escalation and dialogue, and called on all parties to exercise restraint” in Iraq, following the killing of Iranian general Qasem Soleimani near Baghdad last week.

Canada currently leads NATO’s training mission in Iraq and it affirmed its commitment to remain there.?Canadian Foreign Affairs Minister Francois-Philippe Champagne said in a statement released to CNN Monday that Canada remains committed to a stable and united Iraq.?

“Canada is deeply engaged in development, humanitarian, military and diplomatic efforts to support Iraq,” the statement said. “Minister Champagne pledged to continue to work with the government of Iraq to achieve the peace, stability and prosperity that the people of Iraq want and deserve.”

Trudeau and Michel reiterated their support for the preservation of the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action (JCPOA), the Iranian nuclear deal, which they said played a crucial role in regional and global security.

The funeral for Qasem Soleimani is set to begin on Tuesday morning at 7:30 a.m. local time (11 p.m. ET Monday) in his hometown of Kerman, according to Iran’s semi-official news agency ISNA.?

Iranian state-funded Press TV broadcast live pictures of the arrival of Soleimani’s body to his hometown. According to ISNA, Soleimani’s body arrived in Kerman around 3:00am local (6:30pET Monday).

An army parade was held to welcome his body, which was then carried by mourners to the place where the funeral will be held Tuesday.

Sen. Lindsey Graham, a Republican from South Carolina, said he has concerns with President Trump saying Iranian sites should be targeted.

Graham, a close ally of the President, said he expressed his concerns to Trump today.

Graham added: “The bottom line is I think the President saying, ‘We will hit you hard’ is the right message. Cultural sites is not hitting them hard — it’s creating more problems. We’re trying to show solidarity with the Iranian people. Their culture is not my problem.”

Canada’s Defense Minister Harjit Sajjan told CBC News that increased force protection has been ordered for Canadian troops in Iraq and non-essential personnel have been relocated out of the country.??

On the Iraqi Parliament vote to end the presence of foreign troops, Sajjan told the CBC,?“We know the current situation is far more complicated, and we have to respect their process, but it is more complicated than just one vote.?So we will go through the number of days, and potentially weeks to see where the situation lands.”

Sajjan said he spoke with US Secretary of Defense Mark Esper on Friday and received no indication that American troops would withdraw from Iraq.?

The body of Iran’s Gen. Qasem Soleimani has arrived in his hometown of Kerman ahead of his burial there later Tuesday, Iranian state-funded Press TV reported.

Soleimani was killed by a US airstrike ordered by President Trump at Baghdad International Airport on Friday.

Tehran’s streets were packed with black-clad mourners on Monday as a sea of people turned out to pay their respects to Soleimani.

The Pentagon’s top leadership on Monday defended the intelligence that drove the US military to carry out the strike that killed Iran’s Gen. Qasem Soleimani.

They denied reports that the intelligence was “thin” and stressed that very few people in government have seen it.

“And I will be happy when the appropriate time comes and in front of the proper committees and anybody else, through history and every — I will stand by the intelligence I saw, that it was compelling, it was imminent, and it was very, very clear in scale, scope. Did it exactly say who, what, when, where? No, but he was planning, coordinating and synchronizing significant combat operations against US military forces in the region and it was imminent,” Milley said.

“We’re not going to go further than that because of the sources and methods and I know people say well you’re hiding behind it and you lie and all that. That’s not true, I know what I saw and I think I said publicly previously and I will reiterate it, that we, those of us who are involved in the decision making of that, we would have been culpably negligent to the American people had we not made the decision we made,” he added.

Secretary of Defense Mark Esper said the Pentagon didn’t put any options on the table to confront Iran that they “didn’t believe in” and that they “couldn’t execute.”

There have been reports that the targeting killing of Qasem Soleimani was not an option that President Trump was expected to choose to carryout.?

US soldiers provide armed overwatch at the US Embassy compound in Baghdad on January 1.

The Chairman of the Joint Chiefs, Gen. Mark?Milley, called a letter that discussed the movement of troops in Iraq, a “mistake” and that it was poorly worded, incorrectly suggesting that the US was withdrawing troops.

Earlier today, a US official confirmed the authenticity of a letter viewed by CNN from the US Department of Defense to the Iraqi Defense Ministry, which discusses the movement of troops in the region.

Seeking to clarify confusion over a letter leaked today, Milley told reporters:?

Milley said, “It’s an honest mistake…it should not have been sent”

The draft was shared with the Iraqis.

Watch more:

A source familiar confirms Secretary of State Mike Pompeo is in a secure room right now briefing senators on Iran.

The classified briefing is different than the all-senators briefing that will happen on Wednesday.

Sens. Mitch McConnell, Mitt Romney, and Todd Young entered the secure room.

A group of top congressional leaders, known as the Gang of Eight, is expected to be briefed on Iran Tuesday afternoon, a source said.

It’s expected in the afternoon but the exact time has not been determined yet.

The Gang of Eight is generally privy to sensitive information that the rest of Congress is not always briefed on.

Secretary Esper at a press conference in Palm Beach, Florida, on December 29.

Secretary of Defense Mark Esper said the US will not target Iranian cultural sites

He went on to say the US “will follow the laws of armed conflict.”?

President Trump threatened to?target Iranian cultural sites?on Sunday.?

The US has notified Iraq of the repositioning of some of its troops, a US official with direct knowledge told CNN today.

The US official in Baghdad told CNN this is just a notification about repositioning of troops from one place to another within the region. The official said these notifications are standard based on a number of movements. “In particular, tonight we were going to have a lot of helicopters flying through Baghdad and it shows that we operate within the laws of the government of Iraq.”

The official continued, “We are still very much partnered with the Iraqi security forces and while our training mission and operations to defeat ISIS in Iraq have paused we look forward to resume those operations at a moment’s notice. Most of these troops being repositioned are involved in the training mission are in administrative roles.”

Another US official confirmed the authenticity of a letter viewed by CNN from the US Department of Defense to the Iraqi Defense Ministry, which discusses the movement of troops in the region.

Dated today, the letter from US Marine Corps Commanding Brigadier General William H. Seely III said, “In due deference to the sovereignty of the Republic of Iraq, and as requested by the Iraqi Parliament and Prime Minister, CJTF-OIR will be repositioning forces over the course of the coming days and weeks to prepare for onward movement.” The letter does not claim the US is withdrawing troops from Iraq but comes as the US faces the possibility of being told to leave by the Iraqi government.

The letter details helicopter movement around the international zone of Baghdad and said Coalition forces will take appropriate measures to minimize and mitigate disturbances to the public. The letter reiterates “the value of our friendship and partnership” and ends, “We respect your sovereign decision to order our departure.”

CNN’s Arwa Damon and Ingrid Formanek are reporting from Baghdad.

The US Embassy in Israel has issued a travel advisory for Israel, Jerusalem, the West Bank and Gaza due to “heightened tension in the Middle East.”

“Out of an abundance of caution, the Embassy strongly encourages US citizens to remain vigilant and take appropriate steps to increase their security awareness, as security incidents, including rocket fire, often take place without warning,” the embassy said in a statement.

The embassy said it would continue to monitor the situation.

Here’s a list of guidelines from the embassy:

The Pentagon is planning to begin the deployment of six B-52 aircraft to the British territory of Diego Garcia in the Indian Ocean on Monday, according to a US official.?The B-52s will be available for operations against Iran if ordered, the official said.

Remember: The deployment does not signal that operations have been ordered. The Pentagon has traditionally deployed long range bombers and other aircraft as a sign of US force presence and capability.?

Last year, six B-52s deployed to Qatar when tensions with Iran began rising. But this time Diego Garcia was chosen to keep the aircraft out of the range of Iranian missiles, the official said.

President Donald Trump delivers remarks on Iran following the US airstrike that killed Qasem Soleimani.

President Trump continued to defend the airstrike that killed Iran’s Qasem Soleimani, saying the action has made the US “a lot safer” and that the Obama and Bush administrations should have taken action and killed Soleimani.

On whether Iran will respond to the strike, Trump, speaking in an interview with Rush Limbaugh, said: “We’ll see what the response is, if any.”

“This should have been done for the last 15 to 20 years — him in particular,” Trump said, calling Soleimani a “terrorist.”

Trump continued to criticize former President Barack Obama, saying Obama designated Soleimani a “terrorist” and did “nothing” about it. Trump also criticized the Iran deal.?

“We’re a lot safer now because of it,” Trump told Limbaugh.

International nuclear inspectors remain at work in Iran, despite the Islamic republic’s pulling back from the international nuclear deal known as the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action (JCPOA), the International Atomic Energy Agency announced today.

More on this: Iran said Sunday that it would no longer limit itself to the restrictions laid out in the 2015 nuclear deal.

Soldiers from the 82d Airborne Division arrive at Fort Bragg, North Carolina, on January 4.

Soldiers deploying overseas with the 82nd?Airborne Division will not be allowed to bring personal cellphones or any electronic devices that could reveal their locations due to what the Army calls “operational security,” according to division spokesperson Lt. Col. Michael Burns.

Burns acknowledged the decision is unusual given that many troops routinely deployed already do have personal electronic devices and can even purchase them overseas. The decision, he said, was made in part because the elements of the 82nd?that are deploying are part of a rapid response forces and it’s not clear where they may eventually be sent.

Burns said the division is trying to keep families fully informed about the deployment and that phone centers would be established for soldiers to make calls eventually.

“This is not the normal kind of deployment. The decision 100% an operational security and force protection measure,” said Maj. Gen. James Mingus, the commanding general.

The European Foreign Affairs Council will hold a special meeting on Friday as tensions skyrocket in Iraq and Iran following the killing of Iranian military commander Gen. Qasem Soleimani, EU foreign affairs chief Josep Borrell announced today.

The EU is “deeply concerned” by Iran’s declaration it will no longer respect the nuclear deal known as the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action (JCPOA), European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen said today.

Von der Leyen said EU countries “have to convince Iran that it’s also in its own interest” to return to the nuclear deal.

House members will also receive a briefing about Iran on Wednesday afternoon, although a specific time has not been established yet, a?House Democratic aide said.

Senators are also set to receive a briefing from key administration officials on Wednesday, as CNN reported earlier today.

Senator Majority Leader Mitch McConnell will speak about Iran at 3 p.m. ET on the Senate floor, according to an aide.

Chevron has evacuated all of its American oil workers from the Kurdistan region in the northern part of Iraq following last week’s US airstrike in Baghdad.

Chevron, America’s No. 2 oil company, said in a statement today that as a “precautionary measure” its expatriate employees and contractors have left the region “for the time being.”

Local staff are overseeing Chevron’s ongoing operations in the Kurdistan region, the company said.

The Chevron evacuation comes after the Iraqi oil ministry said Friday that “a number of” Americans working in southern Iraq were leaving the country after the United States urged its citizens to immediately depart due to soaring tensions.

When State Department spokesperson Morgan Ortagus was asked today in an interview with CNN about President Trump’s suggestion that cultural centers could be targeted by the US in response to Iranian retaliation, Ortagus said that the Administration “will do anything within our power to protect American citizens.”

What this is all about: In a?tweet Saturday night, Trump said that if Iran strikes any Americans or American assets, the United States has targeted 52 Iranian sites — a reference to the number of Americans taken hostage in the 1979 revolution — “some at a very high level & important to Iran & the Iranian culture,” he wrote.

However, an attack on a cultural site would violate several international treaties and would likely be considered a war crime.

German Foreign Minister Heiko Maas called today for Europe to play a role in keeping Iraq stable and unified in light of the killing of Gen. Qasem Soleimani.

The ministry’s full statement warned of the “dangerous escalation in conflict between the United States and Iran,” and said Europe’s “paramount interest is that Iraq’s stability and unity do not fall prey to the latest escalation.”

Read the statement:

The United States has briefed European allies on the reasons for the killing of Iran general Qasem Soleimani, NATO Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg said today.

“The US provided a rationale behind the action against Soleimani,” Stoltenberg said at a news conference after a NATO meeting in Brussels. The alliance received briefings from the government and the Pentagon.

Stoltenberg wouldn’t share any details about the reason, but said NATO “values and appreciates the briefing.”?

During today’s briefing, all allies also agreed “Iran must never acquire a nuclear weapon” and all countries called for restraint and de-escalation, Stoltenberg said.?

The Secretary General said allies also expressed “a strong support for the fight against ISIS and training missions in Iraq.”?He confirmed NATO is suspending its operations in the country “for the time being,” due to security concerns. Stoltenberg said the “situation is in close review” and he’s in contact with Iraqi authorities.?

Eric Chewning speaks during a Senate Banking, Housing and Urban Affairs Committee hearing in Jan. 2018.

The Chief of Staff to the Secretary of Defense, Eric Chewning, is resigning at the end of January.?In a statement, Pentagon press secretary Alyssa Farah said Chewning “will be leaving the department at the end of January to return to the private sector.”

Chewning became the chief of staff to then-acting Secretary of Defense Pat Shanahan in last January.

Here’s part of Secretary of Defense Mark Esper’s statement:

The announcement of the resignation was expected, but it comes as tensions with Iran are mounting.

Iranian-backed Iraqi Shiite militia Kataib Hezbollah threatened to cut the Gulf oil flow to the US in response to Trump’s remarks regarding imposing possible sanctions on Iraq today.?

Abu Ali al-Askari, the security leader of Kataib Hezbollah, wrote in a Twitter post that “If Trump the fool imposes economic sanctions on Iraq then we will work with our friends (Iran) to stop the flow of Gulf oil to America.”

“Regarding the air base it will be brought to the ground if they (US troops) insist to stay in Iraq.” al-Askari added.

More on this: Yesterday, in response to a vote by the Iraqi parliament to end the presence of “all foreign troops on Iraqi soil,” Trump threatened, “If they do ask us to leave, if we don’t do it in a very friendly basis. We will charge them sanctions like they’ve never seen before ever.”

Trump also said that “We have a very extraordinarily expensive air base that’s there. It cost billions of dollars to build. Long before my time. We’re not leaving unless they pass us back for it”

Counselor to the President Kellyanne Conway spoke to reporters at the White House today on the killing of Qasem Soleimani.

Conway defended Trump’s comments on targeting Iranian cultural sites but would not provide further clarity, echoing Pompeo that “we will be within the law” and somehow claiming Trump “didn’t say he’s targeting cultural sites.”

She later added, “The President has identified all those sites and has said it may happen if Iran retaliates in a certain way.”

Conway squarely criticized a letter from Sens. Chuck Schumer and Bob Menendez urging Trump to declassify the formal notification he sent to Congress on January 4. She also dismissed the prospect of a meeting with House Speaker Nancy Pelosi, citing all the times she has left the White House “in a fit.”

She said Congress should “celebrate, not denigrate” Soleimani’s death:

At one point, she?read an op-ed?from former Democratic Sen. Joe Lieberman in the Wall Street Journal that praised Trump’s actions.

The director of the UN’s cultural agency discussed tension in the Middle East with the ambassador of the Islamic Republic of Iran, according to a news release on the meeting.

Audrey Azoulay, the director general of United Nations Educational Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO), cited international agreements which bar attacks on cultural sites.

Some context: President Trump has said his administration has identified 52 Iranian sites, including culturally important locations, to target if Iran retaliates.

The Director General cited two legal instruments — both of which were signed by the US and Iran:

Azoulay “stressed the universality of cultural and natural heritage as vectors of peace and dialogue between peoples, which the international community has a duty to protect and preserve for future generations,” the release said

Saudi Deputy Defense Minister Khalid bin Salman (KBS) will “call for restraint” and discuss “de-escalation” in a meeting with Secretary of State Mike Pompeo in DC today, a Saudi government source told CNN.

The source said Saudi authorities are?concerned?about an escalation following the killing of Iranian general Qasem Soleimani.?

“He [KBS] is there at the direction of the Crown Prince [his brother],” the source added. “He is there to discuss way to de-escalate the situation.”

The official also said that the Saudi government?is not aware that?Soleimani had any messages for them before he was killed as?indicated?by the Iraqi Prime Minister.

Prime Minister Adil Abdul Mahdi told the Iraqi parliament Sunday he was due to meet Soleimani who “was to carry a message from the Iranian side in response to the Saudi message that we brought to the Iranian side in order to reach important agreements in the situations in Iraq and the region.”

?“We are not aware that he [Soleimani] had any message,”?the Saudi source said.

The Iran’s Foreign Minister Javad Zarif asked President Trump in a tweet today: “Do you still want to listen to the clowns advising you on our region?”

Zarif also wrote “Have you EVER seen such a sea of humanity in your life @realdonaldtrump?”and posted pictures of the huge crowd at the funeral for Iranian general Qasem Soleimani who was killed by a US drone strike in Baghdad last week.

The risk of an Iranian cyberattack is real and could cause significant disruption to the United States, experts say.?

Though Iran lacks the hacking prowess of more powerful adversaries, such as China and Russia, it is capable enough to be dangerous. It’s moved from being a third-rate nuisance in cyberspace to at least a second-tier threat in recent years.?

An?unclassified assessment?released last year by the intelligence community said Iran has grown “increasingly sophisticated” in its online spying capabilities — gaining intelligence on companies, US officials and government organizations to prepare for an eventual cyberattack. That could potentially include attacks on critical infrastructure such as power grids, financial networks and other key targets.

“It is capable of causing localized, temporary disruptive effects,” said the report, “such as disrupting a large company’s corporate networks for days to weeks.”

In the past, Iran has been accused of shutting down the websites of US banks and attacking the computer systems of American casinos, resulting in the loss of credit card information and Social Security numbers.?

But now US officials are bracing for a much wider range of attacks. On Friday, the Department of Homeland Security briefed officials from city and local governments, telecom companies and other potential victims on the potential for an Iranian cyberattack.

President Trump just tweeted that Iran “WILL NEVER HAVE A NUCLEAR WEAPON!”

This tweet comes after Iran said it will no longer comply with restrictions on uranium enrichment under the Iran deal.

The US has tens of thousands of troops spread across the Middle East.

According to CNN’s Barbara Starr, the US military footprint in the Middle East is “all potentially an?Iranian target list.”?

Starr adds, “That is the real challenge here.?How do you go ahead and protect?all of this.”

More on this: The US is deploying 3,500 additional troops to the Middle East following the attack that killed top Iranian military commander Qasem Soleimani.

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Tehran’s streets were packed with black-clad mourners today as a sea of people turned out to pay their respects to Qasem Soleimani, the Iranian general?killed by a US drone strike in Baghdad last week.

The general’s body has now been taken to the city of Qom, according to?Iran’s semi-official?Mehr News Agency.

Here’s what the funeral looked like:

The body of General Qasem Soleimani has?“entered”?Qom, Iran, according to?Iran’s semi-official?Mehr News Agency.

President Trump reiterated his threat to?target Iranian cultural sites?yesterday evening in a conversation with reporters aboard Air Force One.

Trump’s comments came after two senior US officials?described widespread opposition within the administration?to targeting cultural sites, which could amount to a war crime.

Here’s a look at a few of Iran’s heritage sites, as designated by the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization:

Tehran's Golestan Palace?(the Rose Garden Palace),?built in the 16th century, is a masterpiece of the art of the Qajar period.

The mud brick citadel of the ancient silk road city of Bam, one of the wonders of Iran's heritage. The historic 2,000-year-old citadel was almost completely destroyed in a 2003 earthquake that killed 26,000.

The tomb of Cyrus II of Persia, known as Cyrus the Great, the founder of the Persian Achaemenid Empire in 6th century BCE in the town of Pasargadae, northeast of the southern city of Shiraz.

Iranian General Qasem Soleimani’s daughter warned that her father’s death “will cause more awakening in the resistance front” and “will bring darker days” for the United States and Israel.

Speaking in front of a large crowd at her father’s funeral procession at Tehran University today, Zeinab Soleimani said President Trump’s “evil plan?to cause separation between two nations of Iraq and Iran” by killing Soleimani and?Iraqi militia leader Abu Mahdi Al-Muhandis “has failed.”

“Hey crazy Trump, you are the symbol of stupidity and a toy in the hand of international Zionists,” she added in front of a large crowd at the procession. “This heinous crime committed by the Americans expresses the spirit of criminality and bullying that covers all crimes of bloodshed, especially on the land of Palestine.”?

Russian Defense Minister Sergei Shoigu had a phone call?today?with?Iran’s?Chief of Staff of the Armed Forces?Mohammad Bagheri to discuss the killing of general Qasem Soleimani, according to state-run news agency TASS.

Last Friday, Russian Defense Ministry called US killing of Soleimani a “short-sighted act”?and praised?the general?for his “undeniable role?in the fight against?ISIS.

Late last night, Shoigu also held a phone conversation with the head of Turkey’s?National?Intelligence Organization Hakan Fidan discussing “possible joint actions to decrease tensions” in the Middle East and Northern Africa.

Iranians set a US and Israeli flag on fire during the funeral procession.

Tehran’s streets were packed with black-clad mourners today as a sea of people turned out to pay their respects to Qasem Soleimani, the Iranian general?killed by a US drone strike in Baghdad last week.

The mourners carried photographs of Soleimani, a revered and powerful figure who headed the Islamic Revolutionary Guards Corps elite Quds Force and led Iran’s overseas operations.

Many of those on the streets of the Iranian capital were visibly upset and angry; others shouted “down with the USA” and “death to the USA.” Iranian state television said millions attended, although this was yet to be verified.

Soleimani has been hailed a martyr and a hero inside Iran, especially due to his work in the fight against ISIS. Iranian Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, the country’s ultimate political and religious authority, was photographed praying over Soleimani’s body during the funeral ceremony alongside President Hassan Rouhani.

UK Prime Minister Boris Johnson said states have a “right to take action in self defense” following a US drone strike which killed top Iranian military leader Qasem Soleimani in Baghdad on Friday.?

According to Downing Street, Johnson was in touch with senior officials on Friday and over the weekend following the strike, and spoke with Iraqi Prime Minister Adil Abdul Mahdi today to discuss the de-escalation of tensions in the region.?

“The leaders discussed the need to de-escalate tensions in the region following the death of Qasem Soleimani and agreed to work together to find a diplomatic way forward,” Downing Street said in a statement.?

The call between the two leaders follows Iran’s announcement that it will begin to enrich Uranium beyond the limitations set out by the the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action agreement — a development which the Prime Minister has called “concerning,” Downing Street said.?

“The nuclear deal is reciprocal and we are urgently speaking to parties about the next steps,” the statement added.?

Days after President Trump ordered a drone strike that killed?Qasem Soleimani, the powerful commander of Iran’s elite Quds Force, the US is bracing for possible retaliatory actions by Iran.

Before the strike, the US had been pushed to the brink of retaliation against Iran or its proxies on multiple occasions, specifically after attacks last summer on oil tankers in the Persian Gulf and oil facilities in Saudi Arabia and Iran’s downing of a US drone in June.

Here’s how tensions between the two nations have escalated in the past two weeks:

Iranian military commander Qasem Soleimani?was killed Friday following a US airstrike.

Here’s a recap of what we know so far: