Iran acting FM tells UK’s Lammy Europe, US wasted diplomacy chance for de-escalation

Ali Bagheri Kani, in a phone call with David Lammy, the British Foreign Secretary, criticized the European countries’ inaction regarding Israel’s crime of assassinating Ismail Haniyeh, the head of Hamas’ political bureau, in Tehran, saying that the European parties wasted the first opportunity for diplomacy.

Bagheri stressed that by blocking the diplomatic route, the European countries have encouraged the Zionist regime to continue its terrorist actions and to spread instability in the region.

Bagheri referred to the assassination of a senior Hezbollah commander in Beirut and also the assassination of Ismail Haniyeh – an official guest of Iran – in Tehran only a few hours later as examples of instability and stated that no country compromises on protecting its national security and territorial integrity.

The British foreign secretary also described the Zionist regime’s action in assassinating Ismail Haniyeh in Tehran as a step backward in the path to a ceasefire in Gaza, and called on Iran to exercise restraint regarding this matter.

Haniyeh and one member of his security team were assassinated in Tehran last Wednesday. He had traveled to Tehran to attend the swearing-in ceremony of Iran’s President Massoud Pezeshkian.