Iran General’s Wake Brings Deadly Stampede and Calls for Revenge

Iran said it is evaluating 13 possible ways to inflict a “historic nightmare” on the U.S. for killing a powerful Iranian general, whose burial was postponed after dozens of mourners died in a stampede.

General Qassem Soleimani’s exploits in conflicts from Syria to Yemen made him a national hero, and hundreds of thousands have turned out this week as his funeral procession stopped in various cities, first in Iraq, where he was killed in a drone strike, and later Iran. But the masses that met the cortege ahead of his burial overwhelmed his southeastern hometown, leaving more than 50 dead and 213 injured, state TV reported.

The burial was postponed indefinitely, state-run Islamic Republic News Agency said. Some of those hurt as two large crowds merged at an intersection were in a critical condition, emergency officials said.

The tragedy unfolded after Iran served notice that it was assessing 13 scenarios for reprisal.

“Even if the weakest of these scenarios gains a consensus, its implementation can be a historic nightmare for the Americans,” Ali Shamkhani, the head of Iran’s National Security Council, was cited as saying by Iran’s semi-official Fars news agency. “For now, for intelligence reasons, we cannot provide more information to the media.”

Iranian officials have previously said that U.S. forces in the region will be targets, and the Iranian parliament on Tuesday designated the Pentagon and affiliated companies as terrorists. The U.S. issued a warning to shipping in the Middle East over the possibility of Iranian action against U.S. maritime interests, the Associated Press reported, citing a statement.

The menacing comments from Shamkhani, which were later denied by the security council, briefly roiled markets. But U.S. equity futures edged higher, and stocks in Europe and Asia later jumped as investors set aside fears about escalating tensions in the Middle East.