Iran Vows To Retaliate After U.S. Kills Top Military Leader

Iran is vowing to retaliate after its top military commander was killed in a U.S. airstrike.

The Pentagon confirmed it carried out the attack on Iranian Major-General Qasem Soleimani at the direction of President Donald Trump. 

Soleimani was killed at Baghdad's international airport. The Associated Press reports the deputy commander of Iran-backed militias, known as the Popular Mobilization Forces, was also killed in the strike. 

Soleimani served as the head of Iran's Quds Force — a group the U.S. State Department has designated as a foreign terrorist organization. The Defense Department said he'd been planning future attacks on U.S. troops and diplomats in Iraq. 

It also says Soleimani had approved the attacks earlier this week on the U.S. embassy in Baghdad. That two-day protest ended Wednesday.

Iran's supreme leader announced three days of national mourning on Friday and said "severe revenge awaits the criminals" behind the attack. And Iran's foreign minister called Soleimani's death an "act of international terrorism."

Americans also want answers — including House Speaker Nancy Pelosi, who says the attack was carried out without consulting Congress. She's asked for lawmakers to be briefed on the situation immediately.

Additional reporting from Newsy affiliate CNN.