Donald Trump warns ally Iraq will be hit with crippling sanctions if they kick out US troops over the killing of Soleimani as president's clan head back to DC

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Donald Trump last night warned ally Iraq could be hit with crippling economic sanctions if the country kicks out American troops over the killing of an Iranian general by a U.S. air strike in Baghdad.

President Trump spoke on Air Force One as he and his family returned to Washington D.C. after a two-week vacation at his Mar-a-Lago property in Florida. 

Trump told reporters that a forced departure of U.S. troops would prompt sanctions on Iraq, adding: 'It'll make Iranian sanctions look somewhat tame.' 

He said: 'If they do ask us to leave - if we don´t do it in a very friendly basis - we will charge them sanctions like they've never seen before.'

Trump added: 'We have a very extraordinarily expensive air base that's there. It cost billions of dollars to build. Long before my time. We're not leaving unless they pay us back for it.'   

Iranian General Qassem Soleimani was killed in a U.S. air strike on Friday shortly after he arrived in Iraq's Baghdad airport - with the Trump administration insisting he posed an imminent threat and had ordered attacks on Americans in the Middle East.

Iraq's parliament on Sunday voted in favor of a resolution calling for an end of the foreign military presence in their nation, an effort aimed at expelling the 5,000 U.S. troops stationed - a move which could spark an ISIS resurgence. 

Trump, who returned to the White House on Sunday night with his wife Melania and their 13-year-old son Barron, also threatened 'major retaliation' if Iran avenged the killing of Soleimani.

'If they do anything there will be major retaliation,' Trump told reporters on Air Force One.  

President Trump , first lady Melania Trump and their 13-year-old son Barron arrived back at the White House on Sunday night following a two-week stay in Florida

As the Middle East crisis continued to escalate:  

• Ayatollah Ali Khamenei wept over Soleimani's coffin alongside president Hassan Rouhani at the general's funeral ceremony in Tehran today;
• Iranian state media said 'millions' of people had gathered in Tehran to mourn Soleimani's death in scenes not witnessed since the death of revolutionary leader Ayatollah Ruhollah Khomeini in 1989;
• Soleimani's replacement as commander of the Quds Force, Esmail Qaani, vowed revenge and said Iran was aiming to 'get rid of America from the region';  
• Mourners gathered around Soleimani's coffin after it was flown back to Iran in the main cabin of a passenger jet last night;
• Rockets landed near the US embassy in Baghdad for the second night in a row, with American troops and diplomats on high alert for Iranian reprisals;  
• Germany, France and Britain called for de-escalation and urged Iran to stick by the 2015 nuclear agreement which is now on the brink of total collapse. 

In his latest comments, Trump was adamant that targets could include places of cultural significance in a country boasting an ancient heritage and two dozen UNESCO-listed sites.

'They're allowed to kill our people,' a defiant Trump said. 'They're allowed to torture and maim our people. They're allowed to use roadside bombs and blow up our people. And we're not allowed to touch their cultural site? It doesn't work that way.'  

Trump's arrival back in D.C. brought an end a 17-day stay at the resort for him and his family.

They rang in the New Year at Mar-a-Lago by hosting a lavish party for their family, friends and political allies.

But Trump's holidays are now definitely over with twin challenges awaiting him as he returns to the White House on Sunday night: the continuing fallout from the strike in Iraq and his looming impeachment trial in the Senate. 

The Trumps were spotted braving the chilly temperatures as they walked across the South Lawn of the White House after returning from Florida on Sunday night

Trump's holidays are now definitely over as he returns to the White House on Sunday night

Even before Air Force One touched down outside the divided nation's capital, Trump faced growing questions from Democrats fearful that the killing of Soleimani endangered Americans in the region and may have been an effort to distract from the president´s political crisis back home. 

'Next week, the president of the United States could be facing an impeachment trial in the Senate. We know he's deeply upset about that. And I think people are reasonably asking, 'Why this moment?',' Elizabeth Warren, a Democrat running for president, said on CNN's State of the Union.

'Why does he pick now to take this highly inflammatory, highly dangerous action that moves us closer to war?'  

In the hours before Trump's return, tensions simmered half a world away as hundreds of thousands flooded streets on Sunday in Iran to walk alongside a casket carrying the remains of Soleimani. 

Secretary of State Mike Pompeo, who appeared on the full gamut of Washington Sunday morning news shows, defended the strike, which killed Soleimani at the Baghdad airport, as part of a deterrence 'strategy to convince the Iranian regime to behave like a normal nation'.

'The American people should know that we will not waver. We will be bold in protecting American interests and we will do so in a way that is consistent with the rule of law,' Pompeo told CNN. 

The President was spotted ushering his wife Melania and their son Barron into the White House on Sunday night

President Donald Trump, first lady Melania Trump and their son Barron were spotted stepping off Air Force One at Andrews Air Force Base in Maryland before heading back to the White House

Barron Trump could be seen through the window of Marine One as it touched down on the South Lawn of the White House on Sunday evening

A Secret Service agent could be seen stopping Ivanka Trump and Jared Kushner's giggling son Theodore from exiting Air Force One

Iran has vowed 'severe revenge' and yesterday abandoned the remaining limits of its 2015 nuclear deal in response to the airstrike.  

Esmail Qaani, who has succeeded Soleimani as commander of the Revolutionary Quards' powerful Quds Force, also swore revenge in an interview with state TV which was aired today. 

'God the almighty has promised to get his revenge, and God is the main avenger. Certainly actions will be taken,' he said. 

A former head of Iran's Revolutionary Guards also threatened on Sunday to turn the Israeli cities of Haifa and Tel Aviv 'to dust' if the US attacks targets in Iran. 

American forces are braced for retaliation and the US-led coalition against ISIS said in a statement yesterday that it was pausing its fight against the jihadists to shore up its own defences. 

UK prime minister Boris Johnson is gathering key ministers for crisis talks today as the Iran standoff threatens to spiral out of control.

The PM is back in London after a Caribbean break, but finds himself walking a tightrope between Donald Trump and other allies who want to ease tensions.     

Breaking his silence last night, Mr Johnson said Britain 'will not lament' the death of Qassem Soleimani, saying the genreal had played a role in the deaths of thousands of innocent people and was a 'threat to all our interests'.

But he also appealed to both Trump and Iran for calm, urging both sides to encourage de-escalation, after a senior Iranian commander Iranian issued a chilling warning that British forces could be hit.   

The conflict is rooted in Trump pulling out of Iran´s atomic accord and imposing sanctions that have crippled Iran´s economy. But it was not at the forefront of Trump's agenda when his vacation began.

Trump departed for Mar-a-Lago, nestled against the Atlantic Ocean in Palm Beach on December 20 - just two days after the House of Representatives voted largely on party lines to approve two articles of impeachment against him over his pressure of Ukraine to investigate a potential political foe, former vice president Joe Biden.

During his stay, the president visited his nearby golf course nearly every day and kept his public appearances to a minimum. 

President Trump and first lady Melania Trump headed to Palm Beach International Airport from Mar-a-Lago on Sunday afternoon, bringing an end to their two-week stay at the Florida resort

Trump's daughter Ivanka was among those also spotted in the motorcade leaving the resort

Tiffany Trump was spotted on her phone in one of the vehicles in the motorcade sitting alongside her boyfriend Charbel Boulos

President Donald Trump's motorcade heads from his residence at Mar-a-Lago to Palm Beach International Airport on Sunday after their two-week vacation

But behind the scenes, he held a series of meetings and phone calls to prepare for what lies ahead.

Trump spoke to some of his closest Republican allies in the Senate, including Lindsey Graham of South Carolina, about the upcoming trial. 

Though the details of the trial remain unclear, including when it will begin, the outcome seems all but certain, as the Republican-led Senate will almost surely not remove Trump from office.

But House Speaker Nancy Pelosi, D-Calif., has delayed transmitting the articles of impeachment to the upper chamber, a necessary step before the trial can begin, because she has demanded assurances from Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell, R-Ky., that the proceedings be fair.

McConnell, who has been dismissive of the request, has begun negotiations with Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer of New York over the contours of the trial, including whether witnesses would be called. 

The president had pushed to call witnesses to make it a showy trial - including Biden's son and the whistleblower who first reported the pressure to Ukraine - believing he can convince the American public of his innocence. But Graham and others have implored him to let the Senate handle the matter as expeditiously as possible.

Trump has fumed that impeachment will be a permanent stain on his legacy but he has listened to advisers who believe it could be a political opportunity, pointing to polling that shows it playing poorly with independents in a trio of vital Rust Belt battleground states. The president has also mused about holding a series of rallies after the likely Senate acquittal. 

President Donald Trump gave two thumbs up and flashed a smile after leaving his golf resort to return to Mar-a-Lago where he threatened to strike back in a 'disproportionate manner' if Iran took retaliatory action against the U.S. for the killing of General Qassem Soleimani 

Donald Trump warned Sunday that if Iran retaliates against the U.S. he will take 'disproportionate' action against them. He also said he did not need to notify Congress if he decides to issue another attack 

But even as Trump held meetings at Mar-a-Lago about the trial and his upcoming re-election campaign, which will move into a new phase when the Iowa caucus is held in less than a month, the Iran matter moved to the forefront.

Tensions between the nations erupted after an attack killed an American contractor at a joint U.S.-Iraqi base. And after days of deliberations with his inner circle of national security advisers, Trump opted for the most dramatic response, the drone strike that killed Soleimani.

Despite Tehran's call for vengeance, Trump did not back away from his trademark bellicose bluster.

'The United States just spent Two Trillion Dollars on Military Equipment,' Trump tweeted early Sunday. 'We are the biggest and by far the BEST in the World! If Iran attacks an American Base, or any American, we will be sending some of that brand new beautiful equipment their way...and without hesitation!'

But linking the two crises shadowing the White House, Democrats said the heightening tensions with Iran would not dissuade them from Trump´s impeachment.

'I think our system is strong enough that we can do both,' Sen. Chris Van Hollen, D-Md., told Fox News Sunday. 

'I very much worry about what the president is doing right now to escalate tensions and the likelihood of war in Iran, but our country will have to deal with both these issues at the same time.  

Soleimani's body was returned to Iran on Sunday. People are seen carrying his casket upon arrival at Ahvaz International Airport in Tehran. The casket was greeted by chants of 'Death to America' as Iran issued new threats of retaliation

Following massive funeral marches in Iraq, his body was flown to Ahvaz, Iran. Military personnel carry Soleimani's casket in Iran. A tide of mourners packed the streets of the Iranian city of Ahvaz Sunday to pay respects to the top general

An organizer for a funeral procession for Soleimani called on all Iranians to donate $1 each 'in order to gather an $80million bounty on President Trump's head'. The organizer made the remarks during the procession in Mashad