The body of Gen. Qassem Soleimani, who was killed in a US drone strike, arrived on Sunday in Iran to throngs of mourners, as President Donald Trump threatened to bomb 52 sites in the Islamic Republic if Tehran retaliates by attacking Americans.
Soleimani's death on Friday in Iraq further heightens tensions between Tehran and Washington after months of trading attacks and threats that put the wider Middle East on edge.
The conflict is rooted in Trump pulling out of Iran's nuclear deal with world powers, an accord likely to further unravel as Tehran is expected to announce as early as Sunday it will break another set of limits.
Iran has promised "harsh revenge."
Trump wrote on Twitter afterward that the US had already "targeted 52 Iranian sites (representing the 52 American hostages taken by Iran many years ago), some at a very high level & important to Iran & the Iranian culture."
Trump did not identify the targets but added that they would be "HIT VERY FAST AND VERY HARD."