Washington, Aug 4 (UNI) US President Joe Biden hopes Iran will de-escalate the conflict in the Middle East amid tensions in the region following the death of Hamas political leader Ismail Haniyeh.
“I hope so. I don’t know,” Biden said when asked whether Iran would “stand down,” as quoted by White House pool.
On Wednesday, Palestinian movement Hamas reported the death of its political leader, Ismail Haniyeh, as a result of an Israeli strike on his residence in Tehran, where he arrived to attend the inauguration of the new Iranian president. The movement blamed Israel and the United States for Haniyeh’s death and said that the attack would not go unanswered.
The New York Times claimed, citing sources, that Iran’s Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei had ordered a direct strike on Israel in response to Haniyeh’s assassination in Tehran. Iran’s UN Ambassador Amir Saeid Iravani later told the Security Council that Tehran, in accordance with international law, reserved the right to self-defense to respond to Haniyeh’s assassination whenever it deems it necessary. He also said that the assassination would not have happened without US intelligence support for Israel. Iran’s UN mission also called on the Security Council to impose sanctions on Israel for acts of aggression.
