Iran seeks to avoid harming Gaza cease-fire talks with retaliation for Haniyeh assassination

TEHRAN, Iran

Iran on Saturday said it wanted to avoid negatively impacting Gaza cease-fire talks with its anticipated retaliation against Israel over the assassination of Hamas political bureau chief Ismail Haniyeh last month.

Achieving a permanent cease-fire in Gaza remains a priority, Iran's permanent mission to the UN said in a statement following inquiries about whether Tehran would delay its retaliation plans for the planned cease-fire talks.

It also said that any agreement accepted by Hamas would be acceptable to Iran as well.

The statement condemned Haniyeh's assassination in Tehran as a "violation of Iranian national security and sovereignty."

Iran emphasized its right to self-defense but stressed that it hopes its response would not impede the ongoing cease-fire efforts.

The Iranian statement comes amid heightened tensions following Haniyeh's assassination on July 31, as well as earlier Israeli strikes in Beirut that killed Fouad Shukr, a senior commander of Lebanese group Hezbollah.

On Thursday, leaders from Egypt, Qatar, and the US called for resuming cease-fire and hostage exchange talks between Israel and Hamas, scheduled for either Wednesday or Thursday next week in Doha or Cairo.

The Israeli onslaught against the Gaza Strip has killed nearly 39,700 people since last October following a cross-border attack by the Palestinian resistance group Hamas.

More than 10 months into the Israeli onslaught, vast tracts of Gaza lie in ruins amid a crippling blockade of food, clean water and medicine.

Israel is accused of genocide at the International Court of Justice (ICJ), which ordered it to immediately halt its military operation in the southern city of Rafah, where more than a million Palestinians had sought refuge from the war before it was invaded on May 6.

* Writing by Ikram Kouachi