This is bbc news. Im lukwesa burak. The headlines at 4 hundreds of thousands of people take to the streets in iran to mourn the assassinated military leader general soleimani. President trump warns that the us has a list of 52 targets that will be hit very hard if iran decides to retaliate. Iraqi mps pass a resolution calling for foreign troops to leave the country. Royal Navy Warships are ordered to escort british flagged vessels in the persian gulf as the Prime Minister returns to the uk from his caribbean holiday. The australian Prime Minister warns that the bushfire emergency could last for months and announces the creation of a Recovery Agency to help those whove lost homes. I didnt see any flame. I saw this great white ball of fire. That is all i can describe it as, just this white hot ball of fire. The costs of h52 are out of control and its benefits overstated, according to the deputy chair of its review panel. Hollywood prepares for the Golden Globes ceremony as the awards season gets under way this evening. And both the situation in iran and the australian bushfires are among the topics tackled by a panel of foreign and british journalists in dateline london in half an hour. Good afternoon. Welcome to bbc news. President trump says the United States has a list of 52 iranian sites which will be hit very hard and very fast if theres retaliation for the killing of Qasem Soleimani. Irans most senior military commander was killed on thursday in a us airstrike in the iraqi capital, baghdad. The iraqi Prime Minister has called the killing a political assassination and its Foreign Ministry has summoned the us ambassador. Heres our diplomatic correspondent, james robbins. Tens of thousands of iranians are mourning general soleimani and apparently getting behind their leaders in promising revenge. The chants are familiar, including death to america, but the circumstances are radically changed. The war of words is intensifying. President trump has tweeted, this threat of massive retaliation if iran strikes any americans or american assets, he says,
we have targeted 52 iranian sites. Some at a very high level and important to iran and the iranian culture. Those targets and iran itself will be hit very fast and very hard. The usa wants no more threats. Under enormous american pressure, britain is adjusting its political stance. The foreign secretary is now sounding increasingly sympathetic to the United States, but still stops short of outright support. We understand the action they took, but we also need to be very clearly focused on what happens next. We want to de escalate the tensions. We want to see a route through this crisis. We do not want to see a major war in the middle east. The only group or players that would benefit from that would be the terrorists and daesh. Labours shadow foreign secretary said she shed no tears for general soleimani. He had the blood of many people on his hands. However, to take him out at this stage, when there has been escalating tensions, seems to me
to not be making the world safer, actually we are taking a major lurch towards war. In tehran, Irans Parliament has ta ken up the chant of death to america. Its been familiar for many years, but its now being shouted in very changed circumstances, as american reinforcements are sent to the region and both Countries Exchange threats of more violence to come. James robbins, bbc news. Sir Richard Dalton used to be britains ambassador in tehran. He said london should retain some distance from washington if theres to be effective diplomacy in diffusing tensions. First, we should remind ourselves that assassinations have a record in starting wars, and a very poor record in changing the policies of the government of the person
assassinated. Secondly, it is law and International Institutions that stand between us and anarchy, and the United States is not allowed to make the law and to set International Institutions at nought. It would be wise for the British Government to retain some distance from the United States, if it wishes to play an effective role in the diplomacy which britain is calling for. The fact is, there should now be a comprehensive International Initiative to address the root causes of these tensions, which include the United States setting aside its observance of the Iranian Nuclear agreement back in 2018, and include the anarchy across the region, in which innumerable countries, from turkey, saudi arabia, the United States, israel and iran, are all meddling and intervening. We need International Rules of the road and having wasted all the opportunities after previous wars to set in train Regional Security cooperation, we should be making a leap now towards addressing those fundamental questions through multilateral diplomacy. What does the us want of iran . You mentioned the nuclear deal, and vice versa, what does iran want of the us . The us wants to overturn all the International Understandings achieved through the Un Security Council on the treatment of the Iranian Nuclear issue. Secondly, although they deny it, they want to change the regime in tehran. Thirdly, they want to tilt power in the region decisively against iran and in favour of saudi arabia, israel and of course itself. Now those are generally stated objectives, but they do not amount to a diplomatic strategy, and we do not know what the diplomatic strategy is, and mr raab, while endorsing diplomacy, does not give us a clue as to what he thinks the regional diplomacy ought to be. I have made clear what i believe should now happen. It is down to European Countries who have taken the lead on this in the past, together with the uk, and other interested parties, which include a whole range of countries, saudi arabia, uae, turkey, of course, to try to forge International Understandings on the rules for International Interaction in this volatile region. The former uk ambassador to tehran. We will show you some live pictures
in iran. This is the time michael mashhad, where the remains of general soleimani are currently being held. They started off where the general cut his teeth as a young soldier when he served on the front line in the conflict with iraq in the 1980s. Line in the conflict with iraq in the 19805. It line in the conflict with iraq in the 1980s. It has now been moved to the 1980s. It has now been moved to the North Eastern holy city of mashhad, and you can see the crowds, thousands of mourners have joined the coffin, draped in the national flag. It is passing slowly through the crowds and it will be taken to a shrine. We understand up to 10,000 people have filled the streets of mashhad. From there, the remains are said to be taken to tehran. Khamenei will be seeing will say prayers at Tehran University over the
remains. Thousands of people are carrying placards with his picture and chanting anti american slogans, be afraid of your own shadow, death to america, there are examples of some of those. The remains of soleimani will then be moved to a shrine at a Central Location and then on to his hometown. It is here he will finally be laid to rest. A number of days of mourning, three days of mourning have been declared, and a Public Holiday also declared by the cabinet, the iranian cabinet for monday. This is for the state organised funeral procession. Pictures from mashhad where the coffin is being held at the moment before it moves on. Australias Prime Minister has
warned that the bushfires emergency could last for months. Scott morrison announced the creation of a Recovery Agency to help those whove lost homes and businesses. There are fires around the country, but amongst the worst are those concentrated in its most populous state, New South Wales. Some rain has brought a little relief, but not enough to extinguish the flames. Phil mercer reports. The damage inflicted by australias bushfires is immense. Lives have been lost while a growing number of homes and businesses have been ruined. Trapped by the fires under ominous orange skies, people in eden in New South Wales have sought to escape by sea. There is stress, fatigue, and fear. Cooler conditions and some rain are helping the firefighting effort, but the danger is far from over. Many blazes continue to burn and the land still smoulders. This long bushfire crisis is inflicting deep scars on australia, and theres
no end in sight. Lives have been turned upside down. In kangaroo valley, ken stewart lost his home to the fires that raced through this part of New South Wales. He is lucky to be alive. Next minute, i looked up. I didnt see any flame. I saw this great white ball of fire. Thats all i can describe it, as just a white hot ball of fire. I had to drive up that driveway, and by the time i got up to our bottom gate, the entire driveway was lit up with fire on both sides. Parts of sydney have also been threatened. The fires are an unpredictable enemy. No one knows for sure when, where or if they will strike. Australia is fighting back, but its impossible to tell when the battle will be over. Phil mercer, bbc news,
kangaroo valley. Lets return to our top story and the assassination of general soleimani in iraq by the United States. Lets speak to our chief international correspondent, lyse doucet, who is in kabul. Also, jane 0brien is in washington. Lets start with lyse doucet in cabot. What sort of reaction is being given across the region at the moment. We have seen the scenes from the funeral procession but what is the funeral procession but what is the ambience like . I think people are watching with great interest what is unfolding on the streets of major cities of iran. It is not even the day of the final burial, this is just the first of three days, and evenin just the first of three days, and even in areas which were the flash points for unprecedented protests in
iran against the government, against people like Qasem Soleimani, today, instead, millions and millions of people have flooded into the streets across iran, to mourn him and to join iranians in condemning this killing of Qasem Soleimani. It has had an extraordinary blowback in the sense that it came at the time when the iranian leadership was facing significant dissent at home, but for the moment, this seems to have rallied iranians and across the region, there has been important developments today. We have had the first reaction from the leader of lebanese hezbollah, his first reaction since the killing of Qasem Soleimani. He warned that from now on, nothing was off limits when it came to the United States, not its basis, its warships, its soldiers and he spoke of expelling all american troops from the entire middle east. In iraq, another area
where Qasem Soleimani played a massive role in creating a network of what are now powerful iranian backed militias, the Iraqi Parliament voted 170 0 to ask American Forces to leave iraq. It is not a good moment for looking at a region, eight augurs badly for the months to come. They have also said, foreign trips, it does make you wonder about uk troops across the region. Where does that leave the fight against is . That is the big question. That will be another consequence of this action taken by the United States, and one has to remember, the United States did it because they have described Qasem Soleimani as a terrorist mastermind responsible not just for soleimani as a terrorist mastermind responsible notjust for the deaths of hundreds of american servicemen and women, but the architect behind
many of the other Covert Military operations or campaigns taken by governments or armies in this region, which ended in the loss of many, region, which ended in the loss of any region, which ended in the loss of many, many countless lives across the region, so there has been celebration in the region as well. That has to be said at the outset. In terms of what would be a common goalfor so many in terms of what would be a common goal for so many across the region and beyond, including in london, the fight against so called islamic state, in principle that is on hold. The United States have said its operations have stopped because it has to concentrate on protecting the iraqi who work with it, protecting its own forces. Nato, which had Training Missions inside iraq, led bya Training Missions inside iraq, led by a female canadian soldier, that has been suspended because it is too dangerous, and their forces has been suspended because it is too dangerous, and theirforces have been diverted to protecting embassies and other missions. Islamic state must also be cheering
this american effort because in effect they could possibly benefit. Lyse doucet in cabot, thank you. We have been hearing from the us secretary of state and president trump. President trump says the us has 52 targets. International law says it is illegal to target cultural sites and could be seen as a war crime. Speaking on american tv in the past hour, the us secretary of state mike pompeo clarified washingtons position. The American People should know that every time we stroke will be lawful target. Trump has been diligent about that. He does not want war, he isa about that. He does not want war, he is a reluctant participant in this but he will never shy away from
protecting america. It is interesting, jane, the language we are hearing now. We are starting to get feeling around the questions of legality about what has taken place. The legality has been questioned in america from the start. We have been hearing words about whether or not this was an assassination which was illegal or a targeted killing which is what the white house says it was, but now we have the situation complicated by Donald Trumps tweets last night when he said that he would target sites that were important to iranians culture. Mike pompeo in that interview also said that he did not say he would target cultural sites, but the nuance of that will be lost on most people, particularly iranians, and we are already seeing a real rally cry in iran againstany already seeing a real rally cry in iran against any such move which
would be unlawful. So the us is really saying that it will not act against the law, it will conform to the norms of International Law and targeting cultural sites is a war crime and therefore it will not do it. What about this claim by donald trump that there was evidence of. He was plotting against the us and us assets . Do we have any evidence of this . Number has been made public. The white house did send a formal notification to Congress Last night which is classified, but it was expected to contain the legal justifications for the killing and also the intelligence that prompted the decision. This is something that the decision. This is something that the white house is working very hard to bridge the gap of credibility and give enough information that will convince people that it was the
right decision but, until that information is made public, a lot of people are questioning the wisdom of the policy of such a move. Thank you very much for that. Sport and, for a full round up from the bbc sport centre, heres karthi. Good afternoon. Its been a day of mixed results and emotions for the premier league teams in the third round of the fa cup. Tottenham are still in the competition but will need a replay to reach round four. They fell behind at Middlesbrough Ashley Fletcher with the finish