Background
Apparently on orders of the commander in chief, a US drone has killed the leader of Iran's Quds Force as he was being driven away from the Baghdad Airport. The targeted killing of Gen. Qassem Soleimani follows tit-for-tat escalations of Iran-backed forces in Iraq. I presume he had arrived in Iraq to assess the situation and develop or approve plans for the future.
I do not know whether the government of Iraq was helpful or unhelpful in this US action.
Iran has threatened retaliation.
Markets reacted stereotypically overnight as of 7:25 AM Friday:
- gold