Iran has rejected the ‘impudent’ calls from the West to de-escalate its threat against Israel over the alleged killings of Hamas political leader Ismail Haniyeh in Tehran and Hezbollah commander Fuad Shukr in Beirut last month.
WHY IRAN WON’T STAND DOWN
The Iranian foreign ministry said calls to stand down from Britain, France and Germany ‘lack political logic and contradict principles of international law’, after the three powers made a statement yesterday urging calm and restraint.
But sources close to the regime indicated that they would only strike if peace talks due to restart tomorrow fail. No timescale was given for how long Iran would wait before taking action…Biden thinks it will be sooner than later.
THE DEATH OF IRAN POLITICAL LEADER
Haniyeh was killed with a ‘short-range projectile’ fired outside his guesthouse during a visit to Tehran on July 31, according to Iran’s Revolutionary Guard Corps (IGRC), prompting threats of retribution against Israel. Israel has not claimed responsibility.
ALSO,…
Israel was responsible for the assassination of Hezbollah leader Fuad Skukr in Beirut several hours prior, drawing outcry from the Lebanon-based Iranian proxy group – and potentially throwing a hostage deal into jeopardy.
Nasser Kanaani, spokesperson for the Iranian Foreign Ministry, lamented that the joint statement from Britain, France and Germany ‘impudently requires Iran not to respond to a violation of its sovereignty and territorial integrity’.
He instead challenged the Europeans to ‘once and for all stand up against the war in Gaza and the warmongering of Israel’.
