Grief, anger and tragedy have engulfed Iran as the body of Qassem Soleimani, the Iranian general slain in an airstrike ordered by Donald Trump last week, was laid to rest in his hometown of Kerman, where a stampede during the procession killed dozens.

At least 50 people were killed and 213 injured during the funeral march, delaying the ceremony, ISNA news agency said, quoting the province’s chief coroner.

Most of the dead and injured were elderly people who had been walking from the central Azadi Square towards Beheshti Street when they became trapped in the huge crowds, state media reported.

US secretary of state Mike Pompeo defended the decision to kill Soleimani on Tuesday, as did Mr Trump, by again insisting the threat the general was plotting was imminent.

But fallout from the assassination continued to rattle the region, with Iran appearing to move towards a war footing. Nato announced it was withdrawing some of its military trainers from Iraq, citing security concerns.

This followed a vote in Iran’s parliament, declaring the entire United States armed forces a terrorist organisation, and any support of it, including military and financial, “cooperation in a terrorist act”.

Qassem Soleimani: Mourners fill Iran streets for funeral Show all 24 1 /24 Qassem Soleimani: Mourners fill Iran streets for funeral Qassem Soleimani: Mourners fill Iran streets for funeral Kerman - Final stage of funeral processions Iranian mourners gather around a vehicle carrying the coffin of top general Qasem Soleimani during the final stage of funeral processions, in his hometown Kerman. Soleimani was killed outside Baghdad airport in a drone strike ordered by US President Donald Trump, ratcheting up tensions with Iran which has vowed "severe revenge" AFP via Getty Images Qassem Soleimani: Mourners fill Iran streets for funeral Tehran Iranian people carry a coffin of Iranian Major-General Qassem Soleimani during a funeral procession in Tehran Official Khamenei website via Reuters Qassem Soleimani: Mourners fill Iran streets for funeral Kerman - Final stage of funeral processions The assassination of the 62-year-old heightened international concern about a new war in the volatile, oil-rich Middle East and rattled financial markets AFP via Getty Qassem Soleimani: Mourners fill Iran streets for funeral Kerman - Final stage of funeral processions Iranian people attend a funeral procession and burial for Iranian Major-General Qassem Soleimani, head of the elite Quds Force, who was killed in an air strike at Baghdad airport, at his hometown in Kerman, Iran January 7, 2020. Mehdi Bolourian/Fars News Agency/WANA (West Asia News Agency) via REUTERS ATTENTION EDITORS - THIS IMAGE HAS BEEN SUPPLIED BY A THIRD PARTY WANA NEWS AGENCY West Asia News Agency via Reuters Qassem Soleimani: Mourners fill Iran streets for funeral Tehran Mourners packed the streets of Tehran for ceremonies to pay homage to Soleimani, who spearheaded Iran's Middle East operations as commander of the Revolutionary Guards' Quds Force and was killed in a US drone strike on January 3 Iranian Supreme Leader's Office/EPA Qassem Soleimani: Mourners fill Iran streets for funeral Kerman - Final stage of funeral processions Iranian mourners gather around a vehicle carrying the coffin of slain top general Qasem Soleimani during the final stage of funeral processions, in his hometown Kerman on January 7, 2020. - Soleimani was killed outside Baghdad airport Friday in a drone strike ordered by US President Donald Trump, ratcheting up tensions with arch-enemy Iran which has vowed "severe revenge". The assassination of the 62-year-old heightened international concern about a new war in the volatile, oil-rich Middle East and rattled financial markets. (Photo by ATTA KENARE / AFP) (Photo by ATTA KENARE/AFP via Getty Images) ATTA KENARE AFP via Getty Images Qassem Soleimani: Mourners fill Iran streets for funeral Tehran Iranians set a US and an Israeli flag on fire during the funeral procession AFP via Getty Images Qassem Soleimani: Mourners fill Iran streets for funeral Tehran Iran's Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, centre, with Parliament Speaker Ali Larijani, second left, and President Hassan Rouhani, third left, standing next to him as he leads a prayer over the caskets of Iranian military commander Qasem Soleimani and Iraqi paramilitary chief Abu Mahdi al-Muhandis at Tehran University Khamenei.IR/AFP via Getty Qassem Soleimani: Mourners fill Iran streets for funeral Kerman - Final stage of funeral processions Mourners attend a funeral ceremony for Iranian Gen. Qassem Soleimani and his comrades, who were killed in Iraq in a U.S. drone strike on Friday, in the city of Kerman, Iran, Tuesday, Jan. 7, 2020. The leader of Iran's Revolutionary Guard threatened on Tuesday to "set ablaze" places supported by the United States over the killing of a top Iranian general in a U.S. airstrike last week, sparking cries from the crowd of supporters of "Death to Israel!" (Erfan Kouchari/Tasnim News Agency via AP) Erfan Kouchari AP Qassem Soleimani: Mourners fill Iran streets for funeral Tehran Iranian Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, left, openly weeps as he leads a prayer over the coffin of Qassem Soleimani AP Qassem Soleimani: Mourners fill Iran streets for funeral Tehran Mourners holding posters of Qassem Soleimani AP Qassem Soleimani: Mourners fill Iran streets for funeral Tehran Coffins of Soleimani and others who were killed in Iraq by a US drone strike, are carried on a truck surrounded by mourners during a funeral procession, at the Enqelab-e-Eslami (Islamic Revolution) square AP Qassem Soleimani: Mourners fill Iran streets for funeral Kerman - Final stage of funeral processions An Iranian mourner holds a placard AFP via Getty Images Qassem Soleimani: Mourners fill Iran streets for funeral Tehran Downtown Tehran was brought to a standstill as mourners flooded the Iranian capital Khamenei.IR/AFP via Getty Qassem Soleimani: Mourners fill Iran streets for funeral Tehran Former Iranian Revolutionary Guards Corps chief Mohamad Ali Jafari prays on the coffins of Qasem Soleimani and of other victims during their funeral ceremony EPA Qassem Soleimani: Mourners fill Iran streets for funeral Kerman - Final stage of funeral processions Iranian mourners gather during the final stage of funeral processions for slain top general Qasem Soleimani, in his hometown Kerman on January 7, 2020. - Soleimani was killed outside Baghdad airport on January 3 in a drone strike ordered by US President Donald Trump, ratcheting up tensions with arch-enemy Iran which has vowed "severe revenge". The assassination of the 62-year-old heightened international concern about a new war in the volatile, oil-rich Middle East and rattled financial markets. (Photo by ATTA KENARE / AFP) (Photo by ATTA KENARE/AFP via Getty Images) ATTA KENARE AFP via Getty Images Qassem Soleimani: Mourners fill Iran streets for funeral Tehran epa08107653 Iranians attend the funeral ceremony of slain Iranian Revolutionary Guards Corps (IRGC) Lieutenant general and commander of the Quds Force Qasem Soleimani and of other victims in Tehran, Iran, 06 January 2020. Soleimani was killed in a targeted US airstrike on 03 January 2020 in Baghdad, Iraq. EPA/ABEDIN TAHERKENAREH ABEDIN TAHERKENAREH EPA Qassem Soleimani: Mourners fill Iran streets for funeral Tehran epa08107308 A handout photo made available by Iranian Supreme Leader's Office shows Iranian Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei (C) praying before the coffins of slain Iranian Revolutionary Guards Corps (IRGC) Lieutenant general and commander of the Quds Force Qasem Soleimani and of other victims as Iranian President Hassan Rouhani (C-L) and other top officials attend the funeral ceremony in Tehran, Iran, 06 January 2020. Soleimani was killed in a targeted US airstrike on 03 January 2020 in Baghdad, Iraq. EPA/IRAN'S SUPREME LEADER OFFICE HANDOUT HANDOUT EDITORIAL USE ONLY/NO SALES IRAN'S SUPREME LEADER OFFICE HANDOUT EPA Qassem Soleimani: Mourners fill Iran streets for funeral Kerman - Final stage of funeral processions Women hold pictures of Iranian Major-General Qassem Soleimani, head of the elite Quds Force, who was killed in an air strike at Baghdad airport, during a funeral procession and burial at his hometown in Kerman, Iran January 7, 2020. Mehdi Bolourian/Fars News Agency/WANA (West Asia News Agency) via REUTERS ATTENTION EDITORS - THIS IMAGE HAS BEEN SUPPLIED BY A THIRD PARTY WANA NEWS AGENCY West Asia News Agency via Reuters Qassem Soleimani: Mourners fill Iran streets for funeral Tehran Iranian people gather during a funeral for Iranian Major-General Qassem Soleimani, head of the elite Quds Force, and Iraqi militia commander Abu Mahdi al-Muhandis, who were killed in an air strike at Baghdad airport, in Tehran, Iran January 6, 2020. Official Khamenei website/Handout via REUTERS ATTENTION EDITORS - THIS IMAGE WAS PROVIDED BY A THIRD PARTY. NO RESALES. NO ARCHIVES Official Khamenei website Official Khamenei website via Reuters Qassem Soleimani: Mourners fill Iran streets for funeral Kerman - Final stage of funeral processions Iranian mourners gather during the final stage of funeral processions for slain top general Qasem Soleimani, in his hometown Kerman on January 7, 2020. - Soleimani was killed outside Baghdad airport on January 3 in a drone strike ordered by US President Donald Trump, ratcheting up tensions with arch-enemy Iran which has vowed "severe revenge". The assassination of the 62-year-old heightened international concern about a new war in the volatile, oil-rich Middle East and rattled financial markets. (Photo by ATTA KENARE / AFP) (Photo by ATTA KENARE/AFP via Getty Images) ATTA KENARE AFP via Getty Images Qassem Soleimani: Mourners fill Iran streets for funeral Kerman - Final stage of funeral processions Men hold pictures of Iranian Major-General Qassem Soleimani, head of the elite Quds Force, who was killed in an air strike at Baghdad airport, during a funeral procession and burial at his hometown in Kerman, Iran January 7, 2020. Mehdi Bolourian/Fars News Agency/WANA (West Asia News Agency) via REUTERS ATTENTION EDITORS - THIS IMAGE HAS BEEN SUPPLIED BY A THIRD PARTY WANA NEWS AGENCY West Asia News Agency via Reuters Qassem Soleimani: Mourners fill Iran streets for funeral Tehran This Monday, Jan. 6, 2020 satellite photo from Maxar Technologies shows Enghelab Square in Tehran, Iran, amid a mass processional for Iranian Gen. Qassem Soleimani, who was killed in a U.S. airstrike in Baghdad. The funeral for Soleimani drew a crowd said by police to be in the millions in the Iranian capital, filling thoroughfares and side streets as far as the eye could see. Although there was no independent estimate, aerial footage and Associated Press journalists suggested a turnout of at least 1 million. (Satellite image Â©2020 Maxar Technologies via AP) Satellite image Maxar Technologies/AP Qassem Soleimani: Mourners fill Iran streets for funeral Tehran epa08107478 Iranians attend the funeral ceremony of slain Iranian Revolutionary Guards Corps (IRGC) Lieutenant general and commander of the Quds Force Qasem Soleimani and of other victims in Tehran, Iran, 06 January 2020. Soleimani was killed in a targeted US airstrike on 03 January 2020 in Baghdad, Iraq. EPA/ABEDIN TAHERKENAREH ABEDIN TAHERKENAREH EPA

The bill also called on the cash-strapped government of president Hassan Rouhani to allocate the equivalent of an additional £170m ($223m) for defence, including support for the clandestine Quds Force that Soleimani led.

The allocation, if approved, would mean more resources for the force, which the US and the west accuse of wreaking havoc in Iraq, Syria, Lebanon, and Yemen with its support for proxy groups and clandestine paramilitary operations.

Iranian officials continued a torrent of threats against the US. Iran’s foreign minister, Mohammad Javad Zarif, demanded the “expulsion” of all US forces from the Middle East. Speaking to CNN, he said the US attack was an act of state-sponsored terrorism, and vowed that Iran would respond “proportionately”.

The secretary of Iran’s powerful Supreme National Security Council, Ali Shamkhani, said Tehran was quoted in a pro-government newspaper contemplating at least a dozen possible ways of avenging the death of Soleimani and his Iraqi colleague, militia leader Abu Mahdi al-Mohandes, who was killed in the same airstrike on 3 January in Baghdad. The newspaper report was later retracted.

“We say to our enemy: we will take revenge,” General Hossein Salami, commander-in-chief of Iran’s Revolutionary Guard, said in a speech during Soleimani’s funeral. “We will burn the places they love if they make another move. They know where those places are.”

Senior Iranian officials frequently use such fiery rhetoric when discussing the US. But the assassination of Soleimani has galvanised anti-American sentiment among both regime supporters and a public driven by an increasingly fervent nationalism.

In Washington DC, Mr Trump defended his decision, but also stepped away from previous threats to attack cultural sites in Iran if the US launches airstrikes.

“Think of it, They kill our people. They blow up our people. And then we have to be very gentle with their cultural institutions, But I’m OK with it. It’s OK with me,” he said. He added: “If Iran does anything they shouldn’t be doing, they are going to be suffering the consequences, and very strongly.”

Mr Pompeo also defended his country’s actions.

“It was the right decision,” he told reporters at the state department. “If you’re looking for imminence, you need look no further than the days that led up to the strike that was taken against Suleimani.”

Mr Pompeo repeatedly failed to provide further details of the evidence the Trump administration claims it possesses, said to indicate Soleimani was about to attack US interests in the region, though defence secretary Mark Esper said that attack was days away, rather than weeks.

The secretary of state mocked the suggestion that the 62-year-old Iranian military leader was on a diplomatic mission when he arrived in Iraq.

“Is there any history that would indicate that it was remotely possible that this kind gentleman, this diplomat of great order – Qassem Soleimani – had travelled to Baghdad for the idea of conducting a peace mission?” he asked.

Mike Pompeo criticises UK and other US allies for 'not being helpful' over Soleimani assassination

The possibility of an expanding war between Iran and the US or an intensification of the already volatile indirect tit-for-tat attacks by the two countries and their partners has dominated the news and public policy agenda across the Middle East.

Iran has yet to identify any targets but experts and regional insiders say that the United Arab Emirates, a pro-American federation of princedoms that hosts US and UK troops, could be a likely location for reprisal.

“If I was in the Emirates, I would leave now,” Mohammad Marandi, an Iranian scholar considered close to the regime, told Al Jazeera International on Sunday. “If I was an American in Iraq, I would leave now. If I was an American in any part of southwest Asia, I would leave immediately.”

Iranian officials and the leader of its Lebanese ally Hezbollah have ruled out attacks on civilians, and a top security official told CNN that any target would be military.

Iran may forego a spectacular kinetic response and instead attempt to leverage widespread anger over the killing among its supporters and sympathisers in the Middle East, to pressure US forces into leaving the Middle East.

“The ultimate expulsion of the US from west Asia is the doomed fate of Washington’s unbridled exploitation of the tools of war, sanctions, and assassination,” Mr Zarif said in a speech at the Tehran Dialogue Forum, a conference in the Iranian capital that began on Tuesday. “The US will receive the definitive resolute response to its brazen, criminal act in a place and at a time it hurts most.”