Iran attacks bases housing US troops

By James Griffiths, Veronica Rocha, Meg Wagner, Mike Hayes and Ivana Kottasová, CNN

Updated 8:20 a.m. ET, January 8, 2020

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5:49 a.m. ET, January 7, 2020

Iranian foreign minister accuses US of 'state terrorism'

From CNN's Fred Pleitgen

Iranian Foreign Minister Mohammad Javad Zarif speaks at a press conference in Geneva, Switzerland, in October last year. Credit: Fabrice Coffrini/AFP via Getty Images

Iran's Foreign Minister Javad Zarif called US President Donald Trump's decision to order the drone strike that killed the country's top military commander an act of "state terrorism" in an interview with CNN Tuesday.

Zarif also said the Trump administration's decision to abandon the nuclear deal Tehran negotiated with world powers and embrace hardline policies against Iran "destroyed stability" in the Middle East, and he warned of worse to come if the US did not reverse course.

"This is an act of aggression against Iran and amounts to an armed attack against Iran, and we will respond. But we will respond proportionally not disproportionally," he said. "We will respond lawfully, we are not lawless people like President Trump."

Zarif was referring to a tweet Trump sent Saturday in which the President said that if Iran strikes any Americans or American assets, the United States has 52 Iranian sites targeted -- a reference to the number of Americans taken hostage in the 1979 revolution -- "some at a very high level & important to Iran & the Iranian culture," he wrote.

Iran's top diplomat said those comments showed Trump "has no respect for international law and is prepared to commit war crimes -- attacking cultural sites is a war crime."

The interview came as Iran's parliament voted unanimously for a motion declaring all US forces as "terrorists" on Tuesday, according to Iran's state-news agency IRNA. The vote took place during the country's parliamentary session Tuesday, IRNA reported. After the plan was approved, delegates chanted, "Death to America."

Tensions between Iran and the US have escalated since Qasem Soleimani, the head of Iran's powerful Quds Force, was killed on Friday.

Iranian foreign minister accuses US of 'state terrorism'

5:33 a.m. ET, January 7, 2020

BREAKING: People killed in stampede at Soleimani's funeral, says state media

From CNN's Sara Mazloumsaki in Atlanta

"A number of people" have died in a stampede at General Qasem Soleimani's funeral Tuesday in his hometown of Kerman, Iran's Press TV reported, citing the head of Iran's emergency organization.

Press TV is reporting "millions" of people have taken to the streets of Kerman to pay their respects to Soleimani. CNN has not been able to verify this figure.

5:44 p.m. ET, January 7, 2020

Iranian parliament designates US forces "terrorists"

From CNN's Sara Mazloumsaki

Iranian lawmakers have unanimously voted for a motion declaring all US forces as "terrorists" in response to the assassination of Iranian General Qassem Soleimani last Friday, according to Iran's state-news agency IRNA.

The vote took place during the country's parliamentary session Tuesday, IRNA reported. After the plan was approved, delegates chanted, "Death to America."

In the same session, the parliament approved an expanded budget for the Quds Force, which Soleimani headed before his death.

Lawmakers hold a picture of Qasem Soleimani inside parliament. Credit: Handout/ICANA/AFP via Getty Images

5:46 a.m. ET, January 7, 2020

Get caught up: Here's what you need to know about the US-Iran crisis

Mourners stand on a bridge during the final stage of funeral processions for Qasem Soleimani in his hometown of Kerman, Iran, on January 7. Credit: Atta Kenare/AFP via Getty Images

Qasem Soleimani, top general and one of the most powerful men in Iran, was killed in a US drone strike at Baghdad airport last week.

On Monday, mourners packed the streets of Tehran to pay their respects to Soleimani at his funeral.

Here's a recap of what we know so far:

About the strike: US Secretary of State Mike Pompeo said the airstrikes disrupted an "imminent attack" in the region that put American lives at risk. The deputy head of an Iranian-backed Iraqi militia was also killed in the airstrike.
What Iran is saying: Hassan Dehghan, the military adviser to Iran's Supreme Leader, said Sunday that his country's response to the killing by the US will certainly be a military response "against military sites."
How this affects the nuclear deal: Iran will no longer limit itself to the nuclear restrictions set forth in 2015 by the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action (JCPOA), according to a statement on state-run news agency IRNA. “Iran will set their limits based on their technical needs,” the statement reads. “Iran will continue to work with international nuclear agencies and will return to JCPOA limits once all sanctions are removed from the country."
US Defense Secretary contradicts President Trump: On Monday, Secretary of Defense Mark Esper contradicted Trump by asserting the US would not target Iranian cultural sites amid rising tensions. "We will follow the laws of armed conflict," Esper told CNN. When pressed if that meant not targeting Iranian cultural sites, Esper replied, "That's the laws of armed conflict." The comments come one day after Trump reiterated his threat to target Iranian cultural sites in a conversation with reporters aboard Air Force One.
US deploying troops: The US is sending thousands of additional troops to the Middle East in response, according to a US defense official. Soldiers deploying overseas with the 82nd Airborne Division will not be allowed to bring personal cellphones or any electronic devices that could reveal their locations due to what the Army calls "operational security,” according to division spokesperson Lt. Col. Michael Burns.
Confusion over letter: The US military sent a letter to Iraq’s government on Monday suggesting a troop withdrawal, but a top US general later said the letter was released by mistake and was poorly worded.
Trump defends airstrike: The President continued to defend the airstrike that killed Soleimani, saying the action has made the US “a lot safer." On whether Iran will respond to the strike, Trump, speaking in an interview with Rush Limbaugh, said: “We’ll see what the response is, if any.”
Security alert issued: The US Embassy in Israel has issued a travel advisory for Israel, Jerusalem, the West Bank and Gaza due to "heightened tension in the Middle East."