'A more dangerous world': US killing triggers global alarm

PARIS (AP) — Global powers warned Friday that the U.S. airstrike that killed Iran’s top general created a more dangerous world and that continued escalation could set the whole Mideast on fire. Britain, Germany and Canada also suggested that Iran shared some blame in provoking the attack, which prompted immediate cries for revenge from Tehran.

The airstrike early Friday that killed Gen. Qassem Soleimani and associates was quickly followed by a chorus of appeals for reduced tensions between Iran and the United States. As U.S. Secretary of State Mike Pompeo worked the phones, calling world capitals to defend the killings, diplomats in other countries scrambled to try to chart a way forward.

"A further escalation that sets the whole region on fire needs to be prevented," German Foreign Minister Heiko Maas said. He said he told Pompeo that the strike “hasn't made it easier to reduce tensions." But Maas also noted that it "followed a series of dangerous Iranian provocations."

The White House justified the killings with a tweet alleging that Soleimani “was actively developing plans to attack American diplomats and service members in Iraq and throughout the region." The 62-year-old led Iran's elite Quds Force, responsible for the country's foreign campaigns. Iranian state TV reported that 10 people were killed in the airstrike near Baghdad’s airport.

“He should have been taken out many years ago!” U.S. President Donald Trump tweeted.

Oil prices surged as investors fretted about Mideast stability and Iran promised vengeance. Saudi Arabia, Iran’s top rival in the region, urged restraint and called on the international community “to ensure the stability of such a vital region to the entire world.”

Social media flooded with alarm. Twitter users morbidly turned “WWIII” into the top trending term...