Thousands of people have taken to the streets of Tehran to condemn the killing of Iranian military commander Qassem Soleimani in a US air strike. 

Protesters held up pictures of the leader of Iran’s elite Quds Force – one of the country’s most powerful men – who was killed in an attack at Baghdad Airport authorised by Donald Trump on Friday. 

Footage from the Reuters news agency showed protesters chanting “Death to America”, while others set fire to a US flag. 

In Soleimani’s hometown, Kerman, people wearing black gathered in front of his father’s house, crying as they listened to verses from the Koran.

“Heroes never die. It cannot be true. Qassem Soleimani will always be alive,” a school teacher told reporters.

Iran’s supreme leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei has vowed harsh revenge over Soleimani’s death, calling those who killed him “criminals”.  

Meanwhile, Americans have been warned to leave Iraq “immediately” following the attack, with the US embassy telling citizens to leave the country as quickly as possible. 

According to Iraqi officials, the attack also killed Abu Mahdi al-Muhandis, a senior Iraqi military commander. 

In a statement, the embassy said: “US citizens should depart via airline while possible, and failing that, to other countries via land.” Meanwhile, it warned Americans in Iraq against approaching the embassy. 

The US embassy in Iran has yet to update its advice, which already warned Americans against travelling to the country “due to the risk of kidnapping and the arbitrary arrest and detention of US citizens”.