The world held its breath after top Iranian commander Qasem Soleimani was killed in a US drone strike in Iraq on January 3, days after pro-Iranian protesters storm the US embassy in Baghdad. Iran retaliated by launching a volley of missiles at bases in Iraq housing US troops. The same day, it shot down a Ukrainian passenger plane "in error" shortly after take off from Tehran, killing all 176 people on board. Tensions flared up again at the end of November when top Iranian nuclear scientist Mohsen Fakhrizadeh was assassinated, with Tehran blaming Israel.