TheCable

 At least 50 persons have been killed in a stampede at the funeral of Qasem Soleimani, an Iranian general, according to the state TV quoted by the BBC.

Soleimani, commander of the elite Quds Force, was killed in a US drone strike last Thursday.

Iran declared three days of mourning for the deceased.

On Tuesday, a large crowd gathered at the funeral session of the general who was considered a powerful man behind Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, Iran’s supreme leader.

According to the report, more than 48 persons were injured in the incident in Kerman, Soleimani’s hometown where he was buried.

The death of the general sparked off global outrage and conversations on the likely outbreak of a third world war.

The Pentagon said the attack, which killed the general,was carried out on the order of President Donald Trump to deter “future Iranian attack plans”.

It added that Soleimani was killed because he “was actively developing plans to attack American diplomats and service members in Iraq and throughout the region”.

The airstrike came days after an Iran-backed militia breached the US embassy in Baghdad.

Reacting to the general’s death, Iran’s supreme leader vowed harsh revenge against the US.

Gholamali Abuhamzeh, commander of the guards in the southern province of Kerman in Iran, also said his country had identified at least 35 US targets for retaliatory strikes.

But Trump responded saying the US would hit 52 Iranian targets if the Middle-East country carried out its threat.