Iran Warns UK and France: Claims the Right to Retaliate Against ‘israel’ for ‘Unforgivable Crime’
Iran has informed the United Kingdom and France that it retains the right to retaliate against Israel for its "unforgivable" act of assassinating senior Hamas political leader Ismail Haniyeh last month.
During phone conversations on Friday, Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi shared his remarks with British counterpart David Lammy and French counterpart Stéphane Séjourné.
“The Islamic Republic does not seek to expand the war or escalate tensions in the region, but it will firmly exercise its legitimate right to respond to the Zionist regime’s criminal and terrorist actions,” the senior Iranian diplomat conveyed to Lammy.
In a conversation with Séjourné, he termed the assassination an “unforgivable” breach of Iran’s security and sovereignty, emphasizing the Islamic Republic’s right to take action against the perpetrator.
Ismail Haniyeh, the head of the Political Bureau for the Palestinian resistance movement, was killed in a targeted assassination in Tehran on July 31. He had traveled to the Iranian capital to attend the inauguration of Iran’s President Masoud Pezeshkian.
In his remarks to the French official, Araghchi highlighted the continuous policies and actions of the Israeli regime, which are designed to escalate tensions and spread instability throughout the region.
He called on France and other Western nations to prioritize stopping Tel Aviv from persisting with its provocative actions.
The comments addressed the regime’s numerous targeted assassinations of resistance leaders throughout the region, Tel Aviv’s continuous genocidal campaign in the Gaza Strip, and its frequent assaults on neighboring Lebanon.
Meanwhile, European officials extended their congratulations to Araghchi for his recent appointment as Iran’s new foreign minister.
Lammy viewed the inauguration of the new administration of the Islamic Republic as a fresh opportunity to enhance bilateral diplomatic dialogues. Meanwhile, Séjourné conveyed Paris’s willingness to continue these consultations with Tehran.
