Iran rejects pressure to 'stand down' from Israel retaliation
Iran has rejected calls to refrain from retaliatory attacks against Israel over the assassination of Hamas political leader Ismail Haniyeh, as the United States and its allies seek to avert a wider conflict in the Middle East.
Iran has rejected calls to refrain from retaliatory attacks against Israel over the assassination of Hamas political leader Ismail Haniyeh, as the United States and its allies seek to avert a wider conflict in the Middle East.
"Iran is determined to defend its national security," foreign ministry spokesman Nasser Kanaani said Tuesday as he dismissed Western urging for the Islamic Republic to avoid escalating tensions in the region.
Accusing Israel of having violated Iran's "sovereignty and territorial integrity" by killing Haniyeh in Tehran, Kanaani said in a statement shared on Telegram that calls for Iran to de-escalate "lack political logic" and “amount to open and practical support for the source of international crimes and terrorism in the region."
His comments came after the U.S. and a number of European countries — the United Kingdom, France, Germany and Italy — issued a joint statement urging Iran and its allies to "stand down its ongoing threats of a military attack against Israel" amid mounting fears that a direct attack could be imminent.
The U.S. has dispatched a guided missile submarine to the Middle East and sought to expedite the arrival of an aircraft carrier strike group as part of Washington’s commitment to help defend Israel from possible retaliation.
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