Iranians burn US and Israel flags during a funeral ceremony for slain commander of the Quds Force Qasem Soleimani: EPA

Iran has launched a barrage of missiles that struck a joint US-Iraqi air base late on Tuesday, and the Pentagon confirmed that “more than a dozen” ballistic missiles had been fired at US targets.

State TV said Tehran‘s Revolutionary Guard had fired “tens” of warheads at Ain al- Asad base, and also another base in Erbil in Kurdistan, in revenge for the death of Qassem Soleimani.

American defence secretary Mark Esper told reporters Soleimani had been planning an attack within days, and was a “legitimate target”. Meanwhile, US president Donald Trump has backtracked on his threat to target 52 Iranian cultural sites in military attacks, saying he would obey international law.

Soleimani’s burial was delayed by several hours after at least 56 people were killed and 213 others injured after a stampede broke out during the funeral procession in his hometown of Kerman.

Dominic Raab, the foreign secretary, flew to Brussels for emergency talks with the French and German foreign ministers about the situation in the Middle East and the escalating conflict in Libya.