Iran’s supreme leader appointed assassinated commander Qassem Suleimani’s deputy, Brigadier General Esmail Ghaani, to replace him as head of the country’s Quds Forces, Iranian media reported.

The force’s programme “will be unchanged from the time of his predecessor,” Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei said in a statement published by state media.

General Qassem Suleimani, leader of the Revolutionary Guards’ Quds force, was the target of an attack launched by the US on Baghdad airport last night. According to the Pentagon, US President Donald Trump ordered the attack on Suleimani's convoy on 2 January.

In addition to Suleimani, Hashd al-Shaabi Commander Abu Mahdi al-Muhandis died in this attack. Both men were traveling in the same vehicle. A second vehicle in which Hashd al-Shaabi guards were traveling was bombed and at least 8 people were killed. Guided drones were fired from an American helicopter.

The US Department of Defense said the strike was a deterrent measure to protect American personnel abroad. This air strike is meant to deter Iran from all attack projects in the future, the Ministry of Defense said.