Ali Shamkhani, advisor to the Iranian leader on political affairs, posted a message in Hebrew confirming that the conditions have now been prepared to impose the harshest punishment on Israel. He stated that legal, diplomatic, and media measures have been arranged to take this step. Iran had previously emphasized that reaching a ceasefire in the ongoing war in Gaza is a "priority" for Tehran, while firmly asserting its "legitimate right" to respond to the assassination of Hamas political bureau chief Ismail Haniyeh in the Iranian capital, which it attributed to Israel.
The Iranian permanent mission to the United Nations stated: "Our priority is to reach a lasting ceasefire in Gaza. Any agreement reached by Hamas will also be recognized by us." However, it also asserted that Israel "violated our national security and sovereignty through the recent terrorist act. We have the legitimate right to defend ourselves, which is entirely unrelated to the ceasefire in Gaza."
Haniyeh was killed on July 31 in Tehran after attending the inauguration of Iran's new president, Masoud Bezhakian. Israel has not yet commented on the assassination, while Iran has vowed revenge on Israel, holding it responsible, which has placed the entire region on alert and watch. The mission continued: "However, we hope that the timing and manner of our response will not come at the expense of a potential ceasefire."
Late Thursday to early Friday, the United States, Egypt, and Qatar, which mediates between Israel and Hamas, issued a statement urging the resumption of talks to reach a ceasefire in the Gaza Strip on August 15 in Doha or Cairo "to close any remaining gaps and begin implementing the agreement without delay." The leaders of the three countries added, "It is time to finalize an agreement for a ceasefire and the release of prisoners and detainees." On Friday, Israel agreed to resume these negotiations.
