Iran hopes its response to Israel will not harm ceasefire
Iran's Permanent Mission to the United Nations (UN) has announced that its decision to strike Israel following the assassination of Hamas Political Bureau Chief Ismail Haniyeh is unrelated to a potential ceasefire in Gaza, but that they hope the attack will be carried out in a way that does not harm ceasefire negotiations.
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According to Iran's official news agency IRNA, the country's Permanent Mission to the UN issued a statement regarding questions about whether Iran would postpone its plans to attack Israel until the talks on a Gaza ceasefire scheduled for next week.
The statement included the following: "Our priority is to achieve a lasting ceasefire in Gaza. Any agreement accepted by Hamas will also be accepted by us."
Emphasizing that Israel violated Iran's national security and sovereignty with the assassination of Hamas leader Haniyeh in Tehran, the statement noted, "We have the right to legitimate defense, and this has nothing to do with the Gaza ceasefire; however, we hope that our response will be delivered in a timely manner and in a way that does not harm a potential ceasefire."
While an attack on Israel by Iran was expected following the assassination of Haniyeh, claims had emerged that Tehran might abandon its intention to strike in exchange for a permanent halt to Israeli attacks in Gaza.
The US, Egypt, and Qatar issued a joint statement on August 8 calling on Israel and Hamas to resume negotiations on August 15 in Cairo or Doha to achieve a ceasefire in Gaza and a prisoner exchange.