HAMILTON, Canada

Iran’s permanent mission to the UN on Wednesday said the country is "meticulously" planning a retaliatory strike against Israel amid Gaza cease-fire talks.

Asked if Iran is intentionally withholding its attack on Israel as negotiations for a truce in the Palestinian enclave continue, the mission in a statement said: "Iran’s response must yield two distinct objectives.

Its first objective is to "punish the aggressor" for its actions, and secondly, to strengthen Iran's deterrence capabilities "to induce profound regret within the Israeli regime, thereby serving as a deterrent against the repetition of any act of aggression in the future."

"Iran’s response must be carefully calibrated to avoid any possible adverse impact that could potentially influence a prospective ceasefire," it added.

The timing and method of the response are being "meticulously" planned to maximize "surprise," the Iranian mission said, adding that the strike could come "at a moment of maximum surprise; perhaps when their eyes are fixed on the skies and their radar screens, they will be taken by surprise from the ground—or perhaps even by a combination of both."

Regional tension has escalated since Hamas political bureau chief Ismail Haniyeh was assassinated on July 31 in Tehran, hours after attending the swearing-in ceremony of Iran’s new president.

Hezbollah is also expected to retaliate after Israel killed its senior commander Fouad Shukr in Beirut on July 30.

Israel has killed more than 40,000 Palestinians in Gaza since an Oct. 7 Hamas incursion that claimed 1,200 lives and around 250 were taken as hostages. Talks to end the war and return the remaining hostages continue through mediators the US, Qatar and Egypt.