Iran says its retaliation against Israel is ‘not linked’ to truce talks

Iran says its retaliation against Israel is ‘not linked’ to truce talks

Updated

In the midst of yet another attempt to reach an agreement cease-fire in the Gaza Strip, Iran ruled out that the outcome of the ongoing talks will have an impact on the planned retaliation against Israel for the assassination of the leader of the Hamas in Tehran. «These two issues are separate and not directly related to each other,» the Iranian Foreign Ministry spokesman said at a press conference. Nasser Kanaani. «Iran’s support for the need for an immediate ceasefire in Gaza and to stop the Zionist regime’s (Israel) attack on the Palestinian people is not linked to Iran’s legitimate right to punish the aggressor«, he specified.

Governments in the region have accelerated their efforts to achieve a cessation of conflict in Gaza that could reduce the recent escalation of tension following the assassination, at the end of July, of the political leader of Hamas and a senior commander HizbullThe latest statements by Iranian officials contrast with those of the leader of the Lebanese Shi party, Hassan Nasrallahwho has assured on several occasions that he will end his attacks against Israel if the military aggression in Gaza ceases.

A week ago, Iranian officials also told Reuters news agency – anonymously – that “only a ceasefire agreement would prevent Iran from retaliating against Israel.” For three weeks, there has been speculation about the response of Iran and its allies against Israel, which could consist of a direct attack by Tehran or coordinated with other members of the so-called Axis of Resistancethe group of militias and parties in the region that operate under the influence of Iran. Regarding the alliance, Kanaani noted that Iran views its army and the militias of the Axis of Resistance as one unit. «The Resistance Front is not separate from us. When we talk about the armed forces, we also include the Resistance Front,» he added.

Faced with the expected attack, Kanaani insisted that it be carried out «at the right time» and defended Iran’s right to respond. «We do not seek to escalate insecurity in the region. We support well-intentioned ceasefire efforts. We insist on Iran’s legal right to exercise its punishment against the aggressor«he declared.

For his part, Kanaani assured that Iran refused to participate in the ceasefire talks because it does not want to be present in any agreement with “the Zionist regime” and that “it is up to the Palestinian nation to make decisions in this regard.” Also criticized US diplomacy for providing support to Israel as it continues its military offensive in Gaza. «The Israeli regime is showing that it does not want a ceasefire to stop the war,» Kanaani said. «The US government must show whether holding these negotiations is a political maneuver to achieve its goals or whether it is just buying time for the Zionist regime (Israel) to continue killing the Palestinian people,» he added.

Iran rejected the European subscription requests stop their retaliation because it “lacks political logic and contradicts the principles of international law.” The upcoming response is expected to be much broader than Iran’s first direct attack on Israel in April, carried out after killing seven members of the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps. Iran has launched more than 300 drones and missiles at Israel, most of which have been intercepted by defense systems, causing no casualties.