Soleimani killed in US airstrike

Tehran: Global powers warned on Friday that the world has become a more dangerous place after the targeted US killing of Iran's top general, urging restraint on all sides.

Iran, on the other hand, has vowed to retaliate and threatened "severe vengeance".

China, Russia, the UK and France, all permanent members of the UN Security Council, took a dim view of the US airstrike near Baghdad's airport early on Friday that killed General Qassem Soleimani, who headed the Revolutionary Guard Corps' Quds Force.

"We are waking up in a more dangerous world. Military escalation is always dangerous," France's deputy minister for foreign affairs, Amelie de Montchalin, said on RTL radio. "When such actions, such operations, take place, we see that escalation is underway. The priority is to stabilise the region," she said.

Soleimani was a popular figure of national resilience in the face of four decades of US pressure. For the US and Israel, he was a shadowy figure in command of Iran's proxy forces, responsible for fighters in Syria backing President Bashar Assad and for the deaths of American troops in Iraq.

He was widely considered an architect of the rise of pro-Iranian paramilitaries in Iraq, the fight against the Islamic State group and many battles beyond.

The incident has fuelled worries of tensions spiraling out of control for India. The latter sees the region as part of its extended neighbourhood housing about 7 million expatriate Indians who send home valuable foreign remittance. It also a major source of energy for import-dependent India.

Analysts in India say Soleimani's killing is Washington's way of retaliating in the proxy battle being fought in Iraq and Syria, between Iran-supported militias and US troops in the region.

Against this backdrop, a statement from the Indian foreign ministry spokesman Raveesh Kumar advocated restraint and underlined the need for "peace, stability and security in this region."

"We have noted that a senior Iranian leader has been killed by the US. The increase in tension has alarmed the world. Peace, stability and security in this region is of utmost importance to India. It is vital that the situation does not escalate further. India has consistently advocated restraint and continues to do so," Kumar's statement said.

This strike that killed Soleimani is also expected to slow down India's plans to develop the Chabahar port.

New Delhi's immediate concern was the impact of tensions on international fuel prices that soared 4% on Friday. Brent crude futures jumped nearly $3 to hit a high of $69.16 a barrel, the highest since September while the US West Texas Intermediate (WTI) crude futures rose $1.76, or 2.9%, to $62.94 a barrel. Earlier, it touched $63.84 a barrel, highest since May 1. At present, India imports more than 80 per cent of its fuel requirements.

As head of its military abroad known as the Quds Force, Soleimani was the mastermind behind the country's activities across in the Middle East, and its real foreign minister when it came to matters of war and peace.

He had emerged in recent years from a lifetime in the shadows directing covert operations to achieve fame and popularity in Iran, becoming the subject of documentaries, news reports and even pop songs.

As far back as 2013, former CIA officer John Maguire told The New Yorker that Soleimani was "the single most powerful operative in the Middle East".

When his end came, it was violent and sudden. On January 3, the Pentagon announced that it had carried out a successful operation to kill him, at the direction of US President Donald Trump.