Iran Asserts ‘Legal Right’ to Retaliate for Assassination of Hamas Leader Ismail Haniyeh

On August 5, Iran declared that it had the “legal right” to retaliate for the assassination of Hamas chief Ismail Haniyeh in Tehran, an act attributed to Israel amid the ongoing Gaza conflict.

During a regular news conference, Iranian foreign ministry spokesperson Nasser Kanani stated, “No one has the right to doubt Iran’s legal right to punish the Zionist regime,” referring to Israel.

Kanani emphasized that while Iran asserts its right to retaliate, it does not seek to escalate regional tensions, which have been rising since the Israel-Hamas war began in early October, further intensified by the attack in Tehran. He added, “We believe the consolidation of stability and security in the region will be achieved by punishing the aggressor and creating a deterrent against the adventurous behavior and extraterritorial terrors of the Zionist regime.”

According to Iran’s Revolutionary Guards, Haniyeh was killed by a “short-range projectile” launched from outside his residence in Tehran. Haniyeh was in the capital for the inauguration of President Masoud Pezeshkian when he was assassinated. Both Iran and Hamas, along with other Tehran-aligned armed groups in the Middle East, have vowed retaliation for Haniyeh’s death.

Israel has not directly commented on the assassination. The killing occurred just hours after Israeli forces announced the death of Fuad Shukr, the military chief of the Lebanese militant group Hezbollah, in an airstrike on Beirut. Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu indicated that Israel is at “a very high level” of preparedness for any scenario, “defensive and offensive.”

Since early October, Iran-backed Hezbollah and Israeli forces have engaged in near-daily exchanges of fire. The recent high-profile assassinations have intensified global calls for de-escalation, fearing the potential for a full-scale regional war. Iran, which does not recognize Israel, has engaged in discussions with several Arab countries, including Jordan, Egypt, Oman, and Qatar, since Haniyeh’s assassination. Tehran has consistently reiterated its “inherent right” to take action against Israel.