News Desk
The Advocate Post: Iran’s acting foreign minister has stated that the country will retaliate against the killing of Hamas leader Ismail Haniyeh at the “right time” and in the “appropriate” manner.
This statement followed an emergency meeting of the Organization of Islamic Cooperation (OIC) in Saudi Arabia, where members discussed Iran’s potential response. The US has expressed hope that OIC members will advise Iran against escalating the conflict.
Tensions in the Middle East have increased since Haniyeh’sassassination in Tehran last week. Iran and its allies have blamed Israel for the killing, although Israel has not responded.
The Organization of Islamic Cooperation (OIC) met in Jeddah, Saudi Arabia, on Wednesday at the request of Iranian and Palestinian officials. Acting Iranian Foreign Minister Baqeri Ali Bagheri Kani urged OIC members to support Iran’s response to the killing of Hamas leader Ismail Haniyeh, framing it as a defense of both Iran’s sovereignty and regional stability.
The OIC’s subsequent statement held Israel “fully responsible” for the attack, calling it a serious breach of Iran’s sovereignty, but did not endorse any specific military action from Iran. Concerns are rising that Iran might respond similarly to its April missile strike on Israel.
OIC Chair Mamadou Tangara warned that Haniyeh’s killing could escalate into a broader regional conflict and said it would likely intensify the Palestinian cause. Saudi Arabia also condemned the killing as a “blatant violation” of Iranian sovereignty. The US State Department urged that all parties with relations to Iran, like those advising Israel, should discourage any steps that could escalate the conflict.