The threat of a major escalation in Iran-US tensions appears to be rising following the death of top Iranian General Qasem Soleimani in a US air strike in Iraq.

The 62-year-old commander of the Quds Force of the Revolutionary Guards was widely regarded as the second-most important person in Iran, reporting directly to the country’s Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei.

The Pentagon has accused Soleimani and his elite unit of being terrorists, and claims the general was “developing plans to attack American diplomats and service members” in the region, the BBC reports.

The killing has fuelled fears of a possible “World War 3”, a phrase now trending on Twitter. So are those fears justified?