Home Stage set for upsurge in Middle East tensions Thousands of mourners flocked the streets of Iran to pay homage to slain Major General Qasem Soleimani. This is the first time Iran has held a multi-city funeral ceremony in honour of a single man, since the one held in 1989 for Ayatollah Ruhollah Khomeini, the founder of the Islamic Republic of Iran. (courtesy wikipidea.org)