Iran says Haniyeh’s death “would not have happened without US authorization and support”

Tehran calls on UN Security Council to condemn attack

Aug. 1 (EUROPA PRESS) –

Iran’s representative to the United Nations, Amir Said Irwani, assured the UN Security Council on Wednesday that the death of the leader of the Islamic Resistance Movement (Hamas), Ismail Haniyeh, in an attack blamed on Israel in Tehran “would not have happened without the authorization and support” of the United States, a country he also accused of “turning a deaf ear” to the current situation in the region.

“The responsibility of the United States in this heinous crime as a strategic ally and main supporter of the Israeli regime in the region should not be ignored. This action could not have taken place without the authorization and support of the US intelligence services. The continuation of the Israeli aggression threatens the peace and stability of the region,” Irwani said in his speech, reported by the Iranian news agency Mehr.

He said that Haniyeh’s murder serves as an “example of decades of terrorism” by Israel, which “has attacked Palestinians” both in the Middle East and around the world.

The Council also considered the attack to be a “serious violation of international law and the UN Charter” as well as of Iran’s “sovereignty and security.” It therefore called on the Council to take “immediate and effective action” and condemn both the attack in Tehran and the one that occurred a few hours earlier in Beirut, where the main commander of the Lebanese Shiite militia party Hezbollah and the organisation’s number two, Fuad Shukr, was killed.

“The bellicose leaders of this rogue regime have shown utter disregard for the basic principles and norms of international law. Their crimes reveal a lack of commitment to peace and stability in the region and demonstrate their intent to escalate and extend the war. It is imperative that the occupation regime be held fully accountable for its crimes. This regime must not be allowed to evade its responsibility for the violations and their consequences,” he said.

Irwani also stressed that Tehran has repeatedly warned against Israel’s actions in the region and that, despite everything, it has “always exercised maximum restraint.” “Iran reserves its inherent right to defend itself, in accordance with international law, to respond decisively to this terrorist and criminal act at the necessary and appropriate time,” he added.

He also accused Israel of trying to “disrupt the first day of the new Iranian government”, whose objectives are to “strengthen peace and stability in the region”.