Tens of thousands of Iranians took to the streets to protest against the "cruel" US air strike that killed General Soleimani today.

Iranian people flooded the streets of central Tehran, raised the picture of Major General Qasem Soleimani and chanted the slogan "America died." Many elderly people also took part in the protests, saying in unison that the US was "the embodiment of the devil" and that Washington would pay the price.

"Our revolutionary leader, my condolences," the protesters expressed their mourning over the departure of General Soleimani, commander of the Quds task force of Iran's Islamic Revolutionary Guards (IRGC).

Similar protests also took place in the cities of Arak, Bojnourd, Hamedan, Hormozgan, Sanandaj, Semnan, Shiraz and Yazd, the Iranian state news agency IRNA reported on the same day.

News of the death of Major General Soleimani, one of Iran's most powerful officials, also brought the people of his country to his hometown of Kerman to offer condolences.

The Pentagon confirmed that US President Donald Trump had ordered an air strike against Soleimani when he discovered he was landing on Baghdad International Airport at dawn on 3 January. The attack left Soleimani, a senior Iraqi militia commander and six of the escort dead.

Soleimani's death has led to intense debate in the US congress and raised concerns about Iran's counter-actions that could put Washington and Tehran in a direct military confrontation. Iranian President Hassan Rouhani declared that the country would be determined to oppose "American expansionism and protect Islamic values" and to avenge Soleimani.