<p>Mourners thronged Qasem Soleimani's hometown on Tuesday, many of them baying for blood to avenge the assassination of the top Iranian military commander in a US drone strike.</p>.<p>"No compromise, no submission, revenge!" they yelled as they tried to catch a glimpse of the casket containing Soleimani's remains in the southeastern city of Kerman.</p>.<p>A hugely popular figure in Iran, Soleimani was killed on Friday in a US drone strike outside Baghdad international airport.</p>.<p>The assassination, which was ordered by US President Donald Trump, saw a spike in tensions between Iran and the United States and raised fears of a new Middle East war.</p>.<p>Iran's supreme leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei vowed "severe revenge" and declared three days of mourning following the assassination which shocked the Islamic republic.</p>.<p>In Kerman, an enormous sea of people dressed in black brought the city centre a standstill, in scenes already witnessed in Ahvaz, Tehran, Qom and Mashhad.</p>.<p>As the funeral cortege passed, the mourners threw their scarves on top of the truck carrying Soleimani's casket to have them blessed by the blood of a "martyr".</p>.<p>The crowd slowly shifted as the military truck carrying the remains of the general and his companions edged forward.</p>.<p>Emotions ran high as calls for revenge grew.</p>.<p>"He was a father to us all... a father we all trusted and had pride in," said a teary-eyed woman who told AFP she had been at the ceremony since early morning.</p>.<p>"God will avenge his blood," said a 45-year-old woman who gave only her surname as Dorani.</p>.<p>A war veteran on the sidelines of the procession paid tribute to the slain general.</p>.<p>"He was a great man. We can't all be like him... It's near impossible to replace him, but his flag won't fall," said Hemmat Dehghan.</p>.<p>"We are all Soleimani," the 56-year-old war veteran told AFP.</p>.<p>"Revenge, only revenge. Revenge however officials see fit. We've fallen from our horse but not from our principles."</p>.<p>Chants in isolated areas suddenly turned to a chorus of "revenge, revenge!" as drummers started beating to rhythm usually played in mourning for Imam Hussein, the Shiite martyr.</p>.<p>Some took to rooftops to escape the tightly packed streets which were dotted with huge crimson flags, reading "severe revenge" in bold, black font.</p>.<p>A huge poster adorning the side of a four-storey shopping mall read "Severe revenge awaits" Soleimani's killers.</p>.<p>But not everyone at Tuesday's ceremony called for a military conflict with the US.</p>.<p>"War is certainly a last resort. Nobody supports war," Dorani said.</p>.<p>"This was America's ruse, to anger Iranians and drag us to war, but it won't work," she said, adding she would do whatever the supreme leader orders.</p>.<p>"Today is the funeral of Iran and Islam's great general, and us Kermanis are immensely proud."</p>
<p>Mourners thronged Qasem Soleimani's hometown on Tuesday, many of them baying for blood to avenge the assassination of the top Iranian military commander in a US drone strike.</p>.<p>"No compromise, no submission, revenge!" they yelled as they tried to catch a glimpse of the casket containing Soleimani's remains in the southeastern city of Kerman.</p>.<p>A hugely popular figure in Iran, Soleimani was killed on Friday in a US drone strike outside Baghdad international airport.</p>.<p>The assassination, which was ordered by US President Donald Trump, saw a spike in tensions between Iran and the United States and raised fears of a new Middle East war.</p>.<p>Iran's supreme leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei vowed "severe revenge" and declared three days of mourning following the assassination which shocked the Islamic republic.</p>.<p>In Kerman, an enormous sea of people dressed in black brought the city centre a standstill, in scenes already witnessed in Ahvaz, Tehran, Qom and Mashhad.</p>.<p>As the funeral cortege passed, the mourners threw their scarves on top of the truck carrying Soleimani's casket to have them blessed by the blood of a "martyr".</p>.<p>The crowd slowly shifted as the military truck carrying the remains of the general and his companions edged forward.</p>.<p>Emotions ran high as calls for revenge grew.</p>.<p>"He was a father to us all... a father we all trusted and had pride in," said a teary-eyed woman who told AFP she had been at the ceremony since early morning.</p>.<p>"God will avenge his blood," said a 45-year-old woman who gave only her surname as Dorani.</p>.<p>A war veteran on the sidelines of the procession paid tribute to the slain general.</p>.<p>"He was a great man. We can't all be like him... It's near impossible to replace him, but his flag won't fall," said Hemmat Dehghan.</p>.<p>"We are all Soleimani," the 56-year-old war veteran told AFP.</p>.<p>"Revenge, only revenge. Revenge however officials see fit. We've fallen from our horse but not from our principles."</p>.<p>Chants in isolated areas suddenly turned to a chorus of "revenge, revenge!" as drummers started beating to rhythm usually played in mourning for Imam Hussein, the Shiite martyr.</p>.<p>Some took to rooftops to escape the tightly packed streets which were dotted with huge crimson flags, reading "severe revenge" in bold, black font.</p>.<p>A huge poster adorning the side of a four-storey shopping mall read "Severe revenge awaits" Soleimani's killers.</p>.<p>But not everyone at Tuesday's ceremony called for a military conflict with the US.</p>.<p>"War is certainly a last resort. Nobody supports war," Dorani said.</p>.<p>"This was America's ruse, to anger Iranians and drag us to war, but it won't work," she said, adding she would do whatever the supreme leader orders.</p>.<p>"Today is the funeral of Iran and Islam's great general, and us Kermanis are immensely proud."</p>