Iran's foreign minister again has referenced his country's planned retaliation over the assassination of Hamas leader Ismail Haniyeh in Tehran. Abbas Araghchi said late Sunday he made the remark in a conversation with Italian Foreign Minister Antonio Tajani by telephone.
"Iran reaction to the Israeli terrorist attack in Tehran is definitive, and will be measured & well calculated," Araghchi wrote on the social platform X. "We do not fear escalation, yet do not seek it, unlike Israel."
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Slain Hamas leader Ismail Haniyeh with Iranian leader Ali Khamenei in 2023
(Photo: Reuters)
Tajani said in a statement he "called for restraint and to pursue a constructive approach, in order to stop the cycle of military actions in the region, which only risks bringing more suffering.
"It is important that Iran exercises moderation towards Hezbollah in order to avert an escalation on the Lebanese-Israeli border, where Italian soldiers of the UNIFIL contingent are operating, and towards the Houthis in order to avoid an increase in tensions in the Red Sea area, where Italy plays a leading role in the (European Union's) Aspides mission," he said in the statement.
Their call came after Israel and the Lebanese militant group Hezbollah, long backed by Iran, traded heavy fire early Sunday but backed off from sparking a widely feared all-out war.