The assassination of the commander of Iran’s Quds force, Qassem Soleimani, came as a shock to both Iranians and Americans. Although Soleimani and his force had been designated by the US as a terrorist organisation, it was never expected that Washington would kill him this way.

But many are still surprised, asking how Donald Trump, a vocal critic of endless Middle East wars, got to this point.

Experts have been warning that Mr Trump was eventually going to stumble into a serious conflict. And while his more seasoned batch of initial advisors were able to stave off a potential conflict, his current circle of close aides seems to be pushing him towards conflict.

“The adults left the administration and they were left with no one willing or able to speak truth to Trump. He drove past the warning signs and crashed us into this crisis,” says Brett Bruen, former White House director of global engagement, adding that unlike many of Mr Trump’s other mistakes, a summit or a trade deal is not going to solve this one.

Mr Bruen said Mr Trump assumed that Iranian leaders were similar to the North Koreans, and tried again and again to entice them with a splashy show and financial favours. “All he did was create even greater animosity and anti-American sentiment, both within Iran and amongst our traditional allies. Tehran knew Washington was in a tough spot and tried to elevate the costs on countries like Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates,” he told The Independent.

US airstrike kills Iran's Qassem Soleimani: Fallout in pictures Show all 35 1 /35 US airstrike kills Iran's Qassem Soleimani: Fallout in pictures US airstrike kills Iran's Qassem Soleimani: Fallout in pictures This photo released by the Iraqi Prime Minister Press Office shows a burning vehicle at the Baghdad International Airport following an airstrike in Baghdad, Iraq, early Friday 3 January AP US airstrike kills Iran's Qassem Soleimani: Fallout in pictures The wreckage of the car in which general Soleimani was travelling when a targeted US airstrike struck outside Baghdad International Airport on 3 January Ahmad Al Mukhtar via Reuters US airstrike kills Iran's Qassem Soleimani: Fallout in pictures Demonstrators burn the US and British flags during a protest in Tehran after general Soleimani was killed in a targeted airstrike by American forces Reuters US airstrike kills Iran's Qassem Soleimani: Fallout in pictures A burning vehicle at the Baghdad International Airport following an airstrike. The Pentagon said Thursday that the US military has killed general Qassem Soleimani, the head of Iran's elite Quds Force, at the direction of Donald Trump AP US airstrike kills Iran's Qassem Soleimani: Fallout in pictures Protesters burn Israeli and US flags as thousands of Iranians take to the streets to mourn the death of general Soleimani at the hands of America EPA US airstrike kills Iran's Qassem Soleimani: Fallout in pictures Supporters of Donald Trump pray at an 'Evangelicals for Trump' campaign event held on the day following the killing of general Soleimani. At the event, the president praised the "flawless strike that eliminated the terrorist ringleader" AFP via Getty US airstrike kills Iran's Qassem Soleimani: Fallout in pictures A huge procession of mourners gather in Baghdad for the funeral of general Soleimani on 4 January AP US airstrike kills Iran's Qassem Soleimani: Fallout in pictures Thousands of Iranians take to the streets to mourn the death of Soleimani during an anti-US demonstration to condemn the killing of Soleimani, after Friday prayers in Tehran, Iran EPA US airstrike kills Iran's Qassem Soleimani: Fallout in pictures Iraqis perform a mourning prayer for slain major general Qasem Soleimani of the Iranian Revolutionary Guards at the Great Mosque of Kufa AFP via Getty US airstrike kills Iran's Qassem Soleimani: Fallout in pictures A billboard reading 'Death to America and Israel', installed by Iran-backed shiite armed groups at a street in Jadriyah district in Baghdad, Iraq EPA US airstrike kills Iran's Qassem Soleimani: Fallout in pictures A handout picture provided by the office of Iran's supreme leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei shows him visiting the family of Soleiman KHAMENEI.IR/AFP via Getty US airstrike kills Iran's Qassem Soleimani: Fallout in pictures Thousands of Iranians take to the streets in Tehran EPA US airstrike kills Iran's Qassem Soleimani: Fallout in pictures Pakistani Shiite Muslims burn a mock of a US flag as they hold pictures of General Qasem Soleimani during a protest against the USA, outside the US Consulate in Lahore, Pakistan EPA US airstrike kills Iran's Qassem Soleimani: Fallout in pictures Iran's Ambassador to Lebanon Mohammed Jalal Feiruznia, looks to a portrait of Soleimani, as he receives condolences at the Iranian embassy, in Beirut, Lebanon AP US airstrike kills Iran's Qassem Soleimani: Fallout in pictures People make their way on the street while a screen on the wall of a cinema shows a portrait Soleimani in Tehran AP US airstrike kills Iran's Qassem Soleimani: Fallout in pictures Aziz Asmar, one of two Syrian painters who completed a mural following the killing of Iranian Revolutionary Guards commander Qasem Soleimani poses next to his creation in the rebel-held Syrian town of Dana in the northwestern province of Idlib AFP via Getty US airstrike kills Iran's Qassem Soleimani: Fallout in pictures A demonstration in Tehran AFP via Getty US airstrike kills Iran's Qassem Soleimani: Fallout in pictures An anti-US demonstration to condemn the killing of Soleimani, after Friday prayers in Tehran EPA US airstrike kills Iran's Qassem Soleimani: Fallout in pictures Mujtaba al-Husseini, the representative of Iran's supreme leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, delivers a speech in the holy shrine city of Najaf AFP via Getty US airstrike kills Iran's Qassem Soleimani: Fallout in pictures Pakistani Shiite Muslims burn a mock of a US and Israeli flags as they hold pictures of General Qasem Soleimani during a protest against the USA, outside the US Consulate in Lahore, Pakistan EPA US airstrike kills Iran's Qassem Soleimani: Fallout in pictures Protesters demonstrate in Tehran AP US airstrike kills Iran's Qassem Soleimani: Fallout in pictures Pakistani Shi'ite Muslims hold pictures of General Qasem Soleimani during a protest against the USA, in Peshawar, Pakistan EPA US airstrike kills Iran's Qassem Soleimani: Fallout in pictures Protesters, holding a photograph of the leader of the People's Mujahedin of Iran Massoud Rajavi, outside Downing Street in London PA US airstrike kills Iran's Qassem Soleimani: Fallout in pictures Protesters burn a US flag in Tehran AP US airstrike kills Iran's Qassem Soleimani: Fallout in pictures A Syrian man offers sweets to children to mark the killing AFP via Getty US airstrike kills Iran's Qassem Soleimani: Fallout in pictures Iranian worshippers attend a mourning prayer for Soleimani in Iran's capital Tehran AFP via Getty US airstrike kills Iran's Qassem Soleimani: Fallout in pictures Kashmiri Shiite Muslims shout anti American and anti Israel slogans during a protest AP US airstrike kills Iran's Qassem Soleimani: Fallout in pictures Iranian worshipers chant slogans during Friday prayers Reuters US airstrike kills Iran's Qassem Soleimani: Fallout in pictures A protest against the USA, in Islamabad, Pakistan EPA US airstrike kills Iran's Qassem Soleimani: Fallout in pictures Iranians burn a US flag in Tehran EPA US airstrike kills Iran's Qassem Soleimani: Fallout in pictures Supporters of the National Council of Resistance of Iran in Germany (NWRI) protest outside Iran's embassy in Berlin, Germany Reuters US airstrike kills Iran's Qassem Soleimani: Fallout in pictures Supporters of the National Council of Resistance of Iran in Germany (NWRI) protest outside Iran's embassy in Berlin Reuters US airstrike kills Iran's Qassem Soleimani: Fallout in pictures Iranian worshippers in Tehran AFP via Getty US airstrike kills Iran's Qassem Soleimani: Fallout in pictures Vehicles of the United Nations Interim Forces in Lebanon (UNIFIL) patrol a road in the southern Lebanese town of Kfar Kila near the border with Israel. Following morning's killing of Major General Qasem Soleimani, Lebanon's Iran-backed Hezbollah movement called for the missile strike by Israel's closest ally, to be avenged AFP via Getty US airstrike kills Iran's Qassem Soleimani: Fallout in pictures Iranian women take to the streets in Tehran EPA

On the other hand, the response in Iran to Soleimani’s killing seems to have caught the Trump administration off-guard. Iranians showed up huge numbers for the general’s funeral with massive crowds filling the streets in multiple cities across Iran. Although a controversial figure disliked and despised by many Iranian dissidents for masterminding and leading Iran’s regional proxies, Soleimani’s key role in the fight against Isis brought him respect across various socio-political groups inside the country.

“The massive turnout for the funeral of Soleimani reminds us that the theme of anti-imperialism and nationalism is still a very powerful force in Iranian politics,” said Nader Hashemi, Middle East Studies director at the University of Denver, told The Independent:

Mr Hashemi said “Soleimani’s ugly role in Syria, defending Bashar al-Assad, via war crimes, is not generally known in Iran. What is also not known is his involvement in the bloody repression more recently in Iraq, where at least 500 peaceful protesters have been killed by forces linked to Soleimani.”

He added: “Any attempt to question Iranian policy in Syria or Iraq has been repressed by the Islamic Republic, hence the very one-sided view of Soleimani as a war hero among the general public. Many Syrians and Iraqis would beg to differ on these points.”

Many activists have been warning that the Trump administration’s hawkish policy towards Iran contributes to authoritarianism inside the country and undermines prospects for democracy. Iran had seen a massive wave of anti-government protests just recently and before the killing of Soleimani, the focus of Middle East politics was on anti-government protesters demanding their rights across the region.

“Now the focus of politics is American imperialism. This is a huge ideological gift to the leaders of the Islamic Republic, especially hard-liners, who don’t want to talk about democracy or human rights. Their preferred topic of conversation is American aggression. Trump has just handed them a huge victory and made their job much easier,” Mr Hashemi told The Independent, adding: “This is part of a longer tradition of Western foreign policy towards the Middle East that has deep roots and continues until today.”

Iran's Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei weeps at Soleimani prayers

Iran’s Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei weeps at Soleimani prayers

Here in Washington, Mr Trump and his close aides have been pushing the narrative that the assassination of Soleimani was a move to prevent war and make Americans safer. But their narrative is facing serious pushback from Democratic leaders, even those Democrats who have long been known to hold hawkish positions towards Iran.

Critics argued that the killing would not stop the Quds force and, to the contrary, would throw an already volatile region into more chaos.