Iran doesn’t seek to increase regional tensions, FM tells Italian counterpart

Iran does not seek to increase Middle East tensions, Foreign Minister Abbas Araqchi told his Italian counterpart Antonio Tajani. (File/AFP)
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Updated 26 August 2024
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Iran doesn’t seek to increase regional tensions, FM tells Italian counterpart

  • “Iran does not seek to increase tensions. However it is not afraid of it,” Araqchi told his Italian counterpart on the phone
  • He said that Iran’s response would be “definite, calculated and accurate”

DUBAI: Iran does not seek to increase Middle East tensions, Foreign Minister Abbas Araqchi told his Italian counterpart Antonio Tajani, adding that its response to the killing of the Hamas chief in Tehran would be “definite and calculated.”
Iran blames Israel for the assassination of Hamas leader Ismail Haniyeh on July 31, which Araqchi was quoted by Iran’s state media as saying was “an unforgivable violation of Iran’s security and sovereignty.”
Israel has neither claimed nor denied responsibility for Haniyeh’s death in the Iranian capital.
“Iran does not seek to increase tensions. However it is not afraid of it,” Araqchi told his Italian counterpart on the phone, according to a statement about the phone call published on Monday by Iran’s foreign ministry.
Araqchi said that Iran’s response would be “definite, calculated and accurate,” according to the statement. 


US kills Al-Qaeda affiliate leader tied to December attack in Syria, Centcom says

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US kills Al-Qaeda affiliate leader tied to December attack in Syria, Centcom says

  • Bilal Hasan Al-Jasim had “direct ties” to a Daesh gunman who killed and injured US and Syrian ⁠personnel

WASHINGTON: US military forces on Friday killed an Al-Qaeda affiliate leader linked to a Daesh attack on Americans in Syria last month, US Central Command ⁠said in a statement on Saturday.
Bilal Hasan Al-Jasim had “direct ties” to a Daesh gunman who killed and injured US and Syrian ⁠personnel on December 13 in Palmyra, Syria, Central Command said.
“The death of a terrorist operative linked to the deaths of three Americans demonstrates our resolve in pursuing terrorists who attack our forces,” said Admiral Brad Cooper, ⁠the head of US Central Command, in a statement.
Since the December 13 attack, US forces have been conducting strikes in Syria, with the US military saying it has hit more than 100 Daesh targets.