Security expert Ahmad Al-Tamimi revealed the reasons behind Tehran's delayed response to the assassination of Ismail Haniya, the head of Hamas’ political bureau. Al-Tamimi stated that “it is an undeniable fact that the decision to assassinate Ismail Haniya was not made by Netanyahu alone without the approval of the hawks in the White House, referring to members of the U.S. Congress and senior officials in the American administration.” He explained that “there is American involvement in an attempt to provoke Tehran into a response within 48-72 hours, thereby creating a war in the Middle East where Gaza would become a secondary battleground.”
He added that “the visit of the Russian delegation led by Shoigu, who is close to Putin, was exceptional and, in my opinion, carried an important message regarding the White House's plan to drag Iran into war under the pretext of attacking Tel Aviv, with the targets being nuclear reactors, power stations, and Iranian economic zones. This is what the Iranian administration has warned, that there is an American plan ready to strike against it and that Haniya's assassination was merely a trap for a broader war.”
Al-Tamimi noted that “Iran has recognized the significance of psychological warfare and has directly revealed the nature of its response to Tel Aviv, which prompted the U.S. to mobilize and seek more mediations and to exert pressure through backdoor diplomacy in the Middle East and even Asia to delay any Iranian response, as the White House has realized the dangers posed by the hawks and their attempt to exploit Biden’s weakness and withdrawal from the electoral race to drag the U.S. into a war with Iran on behalf of Tel Aviv.”
He pointed out that “Iran is playing for time, and each day without a strike is draining for America, which has had to transfer a significant portion of its warships to the Middle East, pushing Tel Aviv into a state of complete alert that cannot last indefinitely.” He continued, “Tehran will not retaliate during the Arbaeen pilgrimage in Iraq if it has a decision in that direction due to the sanctity of these days, but it has recognized America's and Israel's weaknesses, leveraging time, patience, and psychological warfare—especially since Washington is now offering many proposals to dissuade Tehran from any harsh response that could lead to a comprehensive war in the region.”
