General Qasem Soleimani, the head of the Iranian Revolutionary Guards' elite Quds Force, has been killed by US forces in Iraq.

The Pentagon confirmed he was killed "at the direction of the president".

Gen Soleimani was being driven car at Baghdad airport with local Iran-backed militias when hit by a US air strike.

Iran's Foreign Minister, Javad Zarif, called the move "extremely dangerous and a foolish escalation".

Gen Soleimani was a major figure in the Iranian regime. His Quds Force reported directly to the country's Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei and he was hailed as a heroic national figure.

A spokesman for the Iranian government said the country's top security body would hold an extraordinary meeting shortly to discuss the "criminal act of attack".

US President Donald Trump tweeted an image of the American flag after the news broke.

Global oil prices meanwhile soared more than 4% in the wake of the strike.

What happened?

US media reports say Gen Soleimani and officials from Iran-backed militias were leaving Baghdad airport in two cars when they were hit by a US drone strike near a cargo area.

The commander had reportedly flown in from Lebanon or Syria. Several missiles reportedly struck the convoy, and at least five people are thought to have died.

Iran's Revolutionary Guards said Iraqi militia leader Abu Mahdi al-Muhandis was among the group.

A Pentagon statement said: "At the direction of the President, the US military has taken decisive defensive action to protect US personnel abroad by killing Qasem Soleimani."

It added: "This strike was aimed at deterring future Iranian attack plans. The United States will continue to take all necessary action to protect our people and our interests wherever they are around the world."

The drone strike comes days afterprotesters attacked the US embassy in Baghdad, clashing with US forces at the scene. The Pentagon said Gen Soleimani approved the attacks on the embassy.

•Text (except for amended headline) courtesy of BBC.