Soleimani death: Red flag raised over Iran mosque

A red flag unfurled above the minarets of the Jamkaran Mosque in the Shiite holy city of Qom on Saturday, a day after the killing of top general Qassem Soleimani.

Written across the flag in Arabic were the words: "Those who want to avenge the blood of Hussein."

Red flags in Shiite tradition symbolize both blood spilled unjustly and serve as a call to avenge a person who is slain.

Jamkaran is a significant mosque on the outskirts of the holy city of Qom, some 160 kilometres south of Tehran.

The United States killed Iran's top general and the architect of Tehran's proxy wars in the Middle East on Friday in an airstrike at Baghdad's international airport early on Friday, an attack that threatens to dramatically ratchet up tensions in the region.