Iran rejects US blackmail: Ceasefire priority, unrelated to response
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The Iranian mission to the UN tells Al-Monitor that the Israeli regime violated Iran's national security and sovereignty and that the Islamic Republic has the legitimate "right to self-defense".
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An Iranian flag fluttering at an undisclosed location or date in the Islamic Republic next to a surface-to-surface missile (AFP)
The Iranian Mission to the United Nations reiterated on Friday that Iran's priority is to achieve a lasting ceasefire in Gaza, emphasizing that any agreement accepted by Hamas will be recognized by Tehran.
When asked by Al-Monitor whether Iran will delay its retaliation until after cease-fire talks scheduled to be held next week, the Iranian mission stated that the "Israeli regime has violated our national security and sovereignty through its recent act of terrorism," and that the Islamic Republic has the legitimate "right to self-defense—a matter totally unrelated to the Gaza ceasefire".
Read more: US official says Iran retaliation would jeopardize Gaza ceasefire
However, the mission expressed hope that its response to the Israeli aggression would be measured and timed so as not to undermine the potential ceasefire in Gaza.
It acknowledged the existence of both direct and intermediary channels for communication with the United States, "the details of which both parties prefer to remain untold".
Read more: Iran rejects calls to tone down Haniyeh's assassination response: WSJ
"Israel" assassinated last week the head of Hamas' political Buraue Ismail Haniyeh while he was in Tehran on an official visit.
The Islamic Republic of Iran vowed to respond to the aggression amid heightened military preparations by "Israel," the US, and their allies.
'It is our duty'
In what seemed to be an attempt to arm-twist Tehran into abandoning its retaliation, a joint US-Qatari-Egyption statement was released on Friday, calling for the resumption of ceasefire talks on August 15.
The statement claimed that a framework agreement is ready and that all it needs to be finalized is to agree on implementation details.
However, the commander of Iran's IRGC Quds Force, Brigadier General Esmail Qaani, said that the IRGC "considers it [its] duty to avenge his blood for this bitter incident that occurred within the territory of the Islamic Republic."
In a letter to newly elected Hamas politburo chief Yahya al-Sinwar, Qaani affirmed Iran's continued support for the Palestinian Resistance against the Israeli occupation.
"We will remain by your side, together on the path of Resistance, to fulfill the divine promise of cleansing al-Quds from the cancerous tumor [Israel]," he concluded.
