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Donald Trump personally approved the drone attack that killed Iranian military heavyweight Qassem Soleimani yesterday.

President Trump is believed to have acted without alerting No10 or any other American allies.

With Iranian leaders vowing “crushing revenge”, there are fears the move that could inflame the region and spark a third Gulf War.

Four missiles fired from an MQ-9 Reaper drone obliterated Soleimani instantly, with his body so mangled that he had to be identified by a large, distinctive ring he wore.

CCTV footage filmed close to Baghdad Airport shows a large explosion as his convoy was destroyed.

(Image: KHAMENEI.IR/AFP via Getty Images)

Three other senior military figures also died in the attack at 12.30am yesterday. They were Islamic Revolutionary Guard Brigadier General Hussein Jafari Nia, Major-General Hadi Taremi, Colonel of the Guards Shahroud Mozaffari Nia and Captain Waheed Zamanian.

Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei yesterday declared Iran would avenge the loss. He said of Soleimani: “His departure to God does not end his path or his mission, but a forceful revenge awaits the criminals who have his blood and the blood of the other martyrs last night on their hands.”

Lebanon’s Tehran-backed Hezbollah said it would ramp up its terror “with the blessing of his pure blood”.

(Image: AhadTV)

The assassination has been viewed as a clear act of provocation in Tehran, putting it on the brink of war with Washington while also placing its closest ally the UK in danger. Presidential hopeful Elizabeth Warren branded Donald Trump “reckless” after the airstrike.

Democrat Ms Warren tweeted: “We’re on the brink of yet another war in the Middle East – one that would be devastating in terms of lives lost and resources wasted.

“We’re not here by accident. We’re here because a reckless president.”

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Foreign Secretary Dominic Raab called for restraint and Labour leader Jeremy Corbyn described Soleimani’s death as “an extremely serious and dangerous escalation of conflict in the Middle East with global significance”.

But as politicians from around the world called for de-escalation, President Trump inflamed tensions further.

He tweeted yesterday: “General Qassem Soleimani has killed or badly wounded thousands of Americans over an extended period of time, and was plotting to kill many more... but got caught. While Iran will never be able to properly admit it, Soleimani was both hated and feared within the country. He should have been taken out many years ago.”

(Image: Barzan Sadiq/Twitter)

The US Defense Department said it killed Soleimani, who was 62, because he “was actively developing plans to attack American diplomats and service members in Iraq and throughout the region”.

But it also accused Soleimani of approving attacks on the US Embassy in Baghdad earlier this week.

Other experts believe the killing was intended to send a warning to Iran-backed Hezbollah and Kurdish groups who have been targeting American interests in the Middle East.

Vladimir Putin’s foreign ministry rebuked the US for the attack, saying: “The killing of Soleimani... was an adventurist step that will increase tensions throughout the region. Soleimani served the cause of protecting Iran’s national interests with devotion.”

The UK Government was informed of the assassination by US Secretary of State Mike Pompeo in a phone call to Mr Raab yesterday.

British troops in the region were last night placed on high alert.

Around 500 British men and women are in Iraq training its security forces to fight Islamic State, and more stationed in Jordan and the Gulf.

A senior British security source told the Daily Mirror: “No warning was given and these troops of ours are virtually surrounded by heavily armed and dangerous militia who hate them. Trump has obviously little time for analysis or understanding of the consequences.”

Sources have also warned of the possibility of “green on blue” attacks – assaults by previously friendly locals on British citizens.

Our source added: “There is alarm amongst British in Baghdad that so-called friendly forces may have been turned into deeply unfriendly forces, amongst military and civilian populations.

“The majority of Shia have significant support in Baghdad, and America has lost control of the situation there, especially having assassinated a state figure, albeit a notorious one, like Soleimani.

“Trump has failed to see that this was a state figure he killed, part of a government, and nothing like the killing of Osama bin Laden, who was a stateless terrorist. That means there are some very angry people in Baghdad, who have access to secure areas where Brits are working. It is a lot less safe to be in Baghdad for a Brit today than it was yesterday.”

Last night the Foreign Office advised all UK nationals against travelling to the region.

It said: “There is a risk that British nationals, and a significantly higher risk that British-Iranian dual nationals, could be arbitrarily detained or arrested in Iran.

“The criminal justice process followed in such cases falls below international standards.” The US embassy in Baghdad released a statement urging American citizens in Iraq to depart immediately following Soleimani’s death.

Qassem Soleimani became head of the Quds Force in 1998, a position in which he kept a low profile for years while he strengthened Iran’s ties with Hezbollah in Lebanon, Syria’s government and Shia militia groups in Iraq.

The Quds Force, tasked with carrying out operations beyond Iran’s borders, shored up support for Syria’s Assad when he looked close to defeat in the civil war raging since 2011, and also helped defeat ISIS in Iraq.

Soleimani had survived several assassination attempts against him by Western, Israeli and Arab agencies over the past two decades.

The Trump administration designated Soleimani’s Quds Force as a terror organisation in April last year.

He was the second most powerful person in Iran behind the Ayatollah Ali Khamenei at the time of his assassination, hailed as a national hero and awarded the Order of Zolfiqar medal, Iran’s highest military honour.