Iran Says It Will Respond to Hamas Leader’s Assassination

Following a day of intense diplomatic contacts in the Middle East, Iranian Acting Foreign Minister Ali Baqeri said his country would respond “appropriately” at the “right” time to the assassination of Hamas leader Ismail Haniyeh.

Baqeri was speaking in Saudi Arabia, where the Organisation of Islamic Cooperation (IOC) is meeting to discuss Iran’s possible response to the assassination.

The US said it hoped IOC members would warn Iran against “taking steps that could escalate the conflict.”

Tensions in the region have been heightened by Haniyeh’s killing in Tehran last week, which Iran and its allies have blamed on Israel, but Israel has yet to comment.

The OIC convened in Jeddah, Saudi Arabia, at the request of Iranian and Palestinian officials.

Iranian Acting Foreign Minister Ali Baqeri said he hoped IOC members would support Iran’s response to the assassination.

“Iran’s move will not only be a defense of its own sovereignty and national security, but also a defense of stability and security in the entire region,” Baqeri said.

The IOC later released a statement saying that they “hold Israel entirely responsible for the heinous attack” and described the assassination as a “serious violation” of Iran’s sovereignty. However, the statement did not support a possible military move by Iran.

Iran sent more than 300 missiles and drones, nearly all of which were shot down in mid-air, in retaliation for an attack on its diplomatic mission in Syria last April.

OIC President Mamadou Tangara said Haniyeh’s killing “has the potential to trigger a larger conflict that could engulf an entire region.”

Tangara stressed that the assassination “will further expand the Palestinian cause rather than suppress it.”

Saudi Arabia’s comment on the assassination of Haniyeh also came from Deputy Foreign Minister Walid al-Hurayji, who said the attack was a “clear violation” of Iran’s sovereignty.

Diplomatic contacts in the Middle East have been ongoing since the beginning of the week. US President Joe Biden held phone calls with the leaders of Jordan, Egypt and Qatar on Tuesday.

US Secretary of State Antony Blinken also said, “No one should escalate this conflict. We are engaged in intense diplomatic engagement with our allies and partners, and we are sending that message directly to Iran. We have also sent that message directly to Israel.”

French President Emmanuel Macron also held a phone conversation with his Iranian counterpart, Masoud Pesekşiyan, stressing that Iran’s escalation of the conflict would “cause permanent damage to regional stability.”

According to a statement from Pezekşiyan’s office, the Iranian leader told Macron that “if the West wants to prevent war, it must immediately stop arms sales and support to Israel.”