Iran has ‘legitimate right’ to punish Israel – president

Tehran blamed West Jerusalem for the assassination of Hamas leader Ismail Haniyeh in the Islamic Republic’s capital last month

Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian has reiterated his country’s intention to punish Israel for its “aggression,” referring to the “cowardly” assassination of Hamas political chief Ismail Haniyeh in Tehran in late July. Israel has neither confirmed nor denied involvement in the killing.

Haniyeh, who was the militant group’s chief negotiator in indirect Gaza ceasefire talks with Israel, was killed by a “short-range projectile” that hit the building where he was staying while visiting Iran for Pezeshkian’s inauguration. Tehran and Hamas have both accused West Jerusalem of carrying out the assassination. Both have previously pledged to punish Israel for the alleged crime.

In a phone call with the Vatican’s secretary of state, Cardinal Pietro Parolin, on Monday, Pezeshkian said the assassination violates “all humanitarian and legal principles,” and that Iran “has the legitimate right” to retaliate.

“According to all international norms and regulations, the right to respond to an aggressor is reserved for any country that has been subjected to aggression,” he stated, as cited by IRNA news agency. He added that Western support for Israel and international silence regarding its crimes “encourages it to continue” committing them.

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Haniyeh’s assassination has further increased tensions between Tehran, which has supported Hamas throughout the Israeli offensive in Gaza, and West Jerusalem, which vowed to wipe out the militant group. It was preceded by Israel confirming that it had “eliminated” Fuad Shukr, a senior commander with Lebanon-based Hezbollah, which is also backed by Iran.

Both killings have sparked global concerns of a full-blown war between Iran and Israel. On Monday, the leaders of France, Germany, and the UK called on Iran and its allies “to refrain from attacks that would further escalate regional tensions” in a joint statement.

In a phone call with Pezeshkian, UK Prime Minister Keir Starmer asked the Iranian leader to refrain from attacking Israel, warning that there was a “serious risk of miscalculation and now was the time for calm and careful consideration,” according to a statement from his office. French President Emmanuel Macron and German Chancellor Olaf Scholz spoke with Pezeshkian the same day, according to media reports, both also calling for de-escalation.

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On Tuesday, Iranian Foreign Ministry spokesman Nasser Kanaani dismissed these calls, saying they are “lacking political logic” and “contradicting the principles of international law.”

“[Iran] will not ask anyone for permission to exercise its inalienable rights… If these countries really want peace and stability in the region, they must speak out without any reservations against the provocations of the Israeli regime and the incitement of conflict,” Kanaani said at a press briefing.