Millions of Iranians come together to hold farewell ceremony for General Soleimani who, Trump said, was ‘hated and feared within the country’

Millions of Iranians have poured into the streets of Ahvaz, holding massive funeral processions for the Iranian military leader Qasem Soleimani, who was killed by US airstrike in Baghdad on Friday.

The bodies of the dead General and his companions have arrived in the southern Iranian city of Ahvaz, the main city in Iran’s eight-year battle against the forces of the former Iraqi dictator Saddam Hussein. It was a war that lasted from Sep 22, 1980 – Aug 20, 1988 and during the war USA spent billions of dollars to support Saddam Hussein against Iran.

From Ahvaz, the cortege will be heading to the holy city of Mashhad in Iran’s northeast later in the day and from there to Tehran on Monday and finally to his hometown Kerman in the southeast for burial on Tuesday.

Iran’s Supreme National Security Council said in a statement that a harsh vengeance “in due time and right place” awaits people behind Soleimani’s assassination.

Trump then wrote on Twitter that the US had already “targeted 52 Iranian sites (representing the 52 American hostages taken by Iran many years ago), some at a very high level & important to Iran & the Iranian culture.”

Trump did not identify the targets but added that they would be “HIT VERY FAST AND VERY HARD.”

The United States just spent Two Trillion Dollars on Military Equipment. We are the biggest and by far the BEST in the World! If Iran attacks an American Base, or any American, we will be sending some of that brand new beautiful equipment their way...and without hesitation!
— Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) January 5, 2020