Live updates: US-Iran tensions after Qassem Soleimani's killing

The Palestinian leaders of Hamas and Islamic Jihad movements have met with the new commander of the Quds Force, General Esmail Ghaani, in the Iranian capital Tehran, after visiting the house of Qassem Suleimani to offer his family condolences.

Hamas politburo chief Ismail Haniyeh and Islamic Jihad secretary-general Ziad Nakhleh also attended Suleimani’s funeral on Monday.

In a speech in Tehran, Haniyeh called Suleimani “the martyr of Jerusalem”.

Several Palestinian movements have issued statements offering Iran condolences.

The Islamic Jihad said in a statement that Suleimani was “a great master, and an unrivalled leader and no one could match him in his position and his jihad for decades in Palestine and the region.”

The historically Marxist-Leninist movement of the Popular Front of the Liberation of Palestine (PFLP), said in a statement that Suleimani took the initiative to “struggle against the Zionist enemy and support the forces of resistance and develop its capabilities.”

Qais al-Khazali, leader of the powerful Iran-backed Asa'ib Ahl al-Haq militia in Iraq, has called for an "Iraqi response" to the killing of militia commander Abu Mahdi al-Muhandis as a follow up to the Iranian attacks this morning.

In a statement released on Twitter, he said "the first Iranian response to the assassination of the martyr commander Suleimani took place," referring to the killing of Quds Force leader Qassem Suleimani last week in a US air strike that also killed Muhandis.

"Now is the time for the initial Iraqi response to the assassination of the martyr leader, Muhandis."

Khazali has previously warned that the "price for the blood of the martyred commander Abu Mahdi al-Muhandis is the complete end to American military presence in Iraq".

Iran's aviation authority said it would not hand over to Americans the recovered black boxes of a Boeing 737 that crashed Wednesday, killing all 176 passengers and crew.

"We will not give the black boxes to the manufacturer (Boeing) and the Americans," Iran Civil Aviation Organisation head Ali Abedzadeh said, quoted by Mehr news agency.

Though the crash coincided with the Iranian attacks on the Iraqi military bases, there is no suggestion of a link between the incidents.

Footage on social media has shown students in the Iraqi city of Basra protesting both Iranian and US influence in Iraq.

"With our soul, our blood, we sacrifice for you Iraq," chanted protesters in the southern city, which has been a hotbed of anti-government demonstrations for the past two years.

A spokesperson for Iraq's outgoing Prime Minister Adel Abdul Mahdi has released a statement in the wake of the Iranian attacks, stating that his country "rejects any violation of its sovereignty and aggression on its lands."

The statement added that he had received a notification from Iran about the attacks, and was given assurances they would be "limited to the whereabouts of the American army in Iraq without specifying its location."

"We have not received any casualties so far on the Iraqi side, and we have not officially received the losses on the side of the coalition forces," it said.

"We have called, and we call on all, to exercise restraint, prevail over the language of reason, adhere to international covenants, respect the Iraqi state, and the decisions of its government, and help it to contain and overcome this serious crisis threatening it, the region, and the world with a devastating, comprehensive war."

It added that the prime minister was "making the necessary internal and external contacts in an attempt to contain the situation and not engage in open warfare" warning that otherwise "Iraq and the region will be among the first victims."

Iranian revenge attacks on US targets in response to Qassem Soleimani's killing may not yet be at an end following Wednesday's missile attack on US bases in Iraq, multiple sources have told Middle East Eye, with Tehran weighing its options over what to do next.

"Iran took and concluded proportionate measures in self-defence under Article 51 of UN Charter targeting [the] base from which cowardly armed attack against our citizens and senior officials were launched," Iran’s foreign minister, Mohammed Javad Zarif, tweeted on Wednesday morning.

However, multiple sources familiar with the discussions taking place in Tehran told MEE that a range of further responses had been prepared and were contingent on the nature of any US response to this morning’s attacks.

MEE further understands that as the missiles were being launched, a four-hour meeting was taking place between the leadership of the IRGC and affiliated Arab groups.

Read Peter Oborne's latest analysis from Tehran here.

A growing number of airlines said on Wednesday they were avoiding Iranian and Iraqi airspace for flights to the region after Tehran fired ballistic missiles against bases housing US troops in Iraq.

"As a precautionary measure and following news of air strikes underway, Air France has decided to suspend until further notice all flights through Iranian and Iraqi airspace," an Air France spokesman told the AFP news agency.

Shortly after the missile attacks, the US Federal Aviation Administration said it was banning US-registered carriers from flying over Iraq, Iran, the Gulf of Oman and the waters between Iran and Saudi Arabia.

Its Russian counterpart, the Federal Air Transport Agency, said it was recommending airlines avoid the air space over the same area "due to information about current risks for safety of international passenger flights".

A KLM spokesman told AFP: "Until further notice, KLM has no flights over Iranian or Iraqi airspace."

In Germany, Lufthansa said it had cancelled its daily flight to Tehran in addition to halting overflights of Iran and Iraq until further notice.

It added that Saturday's twice-weekly service to northern Iraqi city of Erbil would also not depart.

Poland's national airline LOT had already announced at the weekend that its regular flights in the region were being diverted to keep them out of Iranian airspace.

UAE carriers Emirates Airline and low-cost Flydubai said they had cancelled flights to Baghdad for "operational reasons".

A top commander in Iraq's Hashd al-Shaabi militia network said on Wednesday it was time for an "Iraqi response" to the US drone strike that killed the network's deputy chief Abu Mahdi al-Muhandis.

"That response will be no less than the size of the Iranian response. That is a promise," Qais al-Khazali, a Hashd commander, threatened in a tweet.
 
Iran launched missiles at Iraqi bases housing US troops early on Wednesday in retaliation for last week's US drone strike that killed senior Iranian commander Qassem Soleimani and Muhandis.

Britain has condemned Iran's missile attacks on Iraqi bases housing coalition military, and voiced concern over "reports of casualties" from the strikes, the AFP news agency reported.

"We condemn this attack on Iraqi military bases hosting Coalition - including British forces," said Foreign Secretary Dominic Raab.

"We are concerned by reports of casualties and use of ballistic missiles."

Iraq's military said a total of 22 missiles had struck two bases housing US troops but there were no Iraqi casualties.

The statement made no mention of Iran, which claimed that it had fired ballistic missiles at the Ain al-Asad airbase in retaliation for the US killing of top Iranian general Qassem Soleimani.

"Between 1.45am and 2.15am (2245 GMT and 2315 GMT) Iraq was hit by 22 missiles, 17 on the Ain al-Asad air base and ... five on the city of Erbil," the Iraqi military said.

"There were no victims among the Iraqi forces," it added, but did not mention whether or not there were casualties among foreign troops.

Good evening, 

Here's a quick round-up of the night's events as the tensions between the US and Iran flared after Tehran fired rockets at bases in Iraq housing US forces.

1) The Pentagon confirmed Iran fired more than a dozen ballistic missiles from Iranian territory, targeting at least two Iraqi military bases hosting US-led coalition personnel.

2) The burial ceremony of Iran's slain general Qassem Soleimani began in the general's hometown in Kerman, after a stampede killing 56 people caused a delay.

3) Tehran threatened to strike Dubai in the United Arab Emirates and Haifa in Israel if Washington responds to the rocket attack, according to Iran's Al Alam TV.

4) The United States banned American airline carriers from operating in the airspace over Iraq, Iran, the Gulf of Oman and the waters between Iran and Saudi Arabia.

5) Iran's Foreign Minister Mohammad Javad Zarif said the strikes were "proportionate measures in self-defence" and that Tehran is not seeking to go to war.

6) In his first tweet after the attacks, Donald Trump said "All is well!"  and that he would deliver a statement on Wednesday morning.

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Senator Elizabeth Warren, at a campaign event in Brooklyn on Tuesday night, called for a de-escalation of tensions in the Middle East. 

"The American people do not want a war with Iran," Warren, a leading Democratic presidential candidate, said. 

Donald Trump sent a cryptic message about his plans following the attack on bases in Iraq housing US forces and said he would deliver a statement on Wednesday morning.

"All is well! Missiles launched from Iran at two military bases located in Iraq," he wrote on Twitter.

"Assessment of casualties & damages taking place now. So far, so good! We have the most powerful and well equipped military anywhere in the world, by far! I will be making a statement tomorrow morning."

Iran's Foreign Minister Mohammad Javad Zarif said the strikes were "proportionate measures in self-defence" and that Tehran is not seeking to go to war.

"Iran took & concluded proportionate measures in self-defense under Article 51 of UN Charter targeting base from which cowardly armed attack against our citizens & senior officials were launched," he said on Twitter.

"We do not seek escalation or war, but will defend ourselves against any aggression."

Iraq's Ain al-Assad air base, the main target of Iranian attacks against the US on Tuesday night, was also the first warzone military base Donald Trump had ever visited as US president. Trump visited the base on 26 December 2018.