Washington D.C. - The United States has been urging other nations to communicate to Iran that further escalation is not in their interest, a State Department spokesperson revealed on Monday. This comes as Secretary of State Antony Blinken described the situation as a "critical moment" for the region. Meanwhile, Iran has vowed to "punish" Israel for the assassination of Hamas leader Ismail Haniyeh in Tehran last week, emphasizing the need for deterrence against Israeli actions.
Blinken stated that Washington is engaged in intense, around-the-clock diplomacy to de-escalate tensions, with fears mounting that Iran might retaliate against Israel. "All parties must refrain from escalation," Blinken said during a signing ceremony with his Australian counterpart in Washington. He added, "All parties must take steps to ease tensions. Escalation is not in anyone's interests. It will only lead to more conflict, more violence, more insecurity."
Haniyeh's assassination has heightened concerns that the conflict in Gaza could expand into a broader Middle East war. Iran has blamed Israel for the killing and has threatened retaliation. Israeli officials have not claimed responsibility for the assassination. Iran backs Hamas, which is at war with Israel in Gaza, and also supports the Lebanese group Hezbollah, whose senior military commander Fuad Shukr was killed in an Israeli strike on Beirut last week.
U.S. President Joe Biden and Vice President Kamala Harris were briefed by their national security team on the situation in the Middle East, including threats posed by Iran and its proxies to Israel and U.S. servicemembers. They were also informed about an attack on Iraq's al Asad airbase on Monday, where at least five U.S. personnel were wounded. It remains unclear if this attack is linked to Iran's threats of retaliation over Haniyeh's killing.
Biden and Harris discussed U.S. efforts to support Israel militarily if attacked and diplomatic measures to de-escalate regional tensions and secure a ceasefire in Gaza. Blinken also spoke with Qatari Prime Minister Sheikh Mohammed bin Abdulrahman Al Thani and Egyptian Foreign Minister Badr Abdelatty to urge countries to convey to Iran that escalation is not in their interest.
Iran's foreign ministry spokesperson Nasser Kanaani said on Monday that while Iran seeks stability in the region, it believes punishing Israel is necessary to deter further aggression. He called on the U.S. to stop supporting Israel, arguing that the international community has failed to safeguard regional stability and should support the "punishment of the aggressor."
Iran's acting Foreign Minister Ali Bagheri Kani met with ambassadors and heads of missions in Tehran to reiterate Iran's intent to respond to Israel. The Organisation of Islamic Cooperation is scheduled to hold an emergency meeting on Wednesday at Iran's request to discuss Haniyeh's assassination and Iran's response.
The Islamic Revolutionary Guards Corps' top Commander Hossein Salami reiterated on Monday that Israel "will receive punishment in due time," underscoring Iran's resolve to respond to Haniyeh's killing.
Meanwhile, Israel returned more than 80 bodies of Palestinians killed in its Gaza Strip offensive. The Palestinian Ministry of Health reported that airstrikes killed at least 18 more people on Monday.
Yamen Abu Suleiman from the Palestinian Civil Emergency Service expressed uncertainty about whether the returned bodies were dug up from cemeteries or were detainees. He criticized the lack of information provided by Israel and described the situation as a war crime. The bodies will be examined before being buried in a mass grave.
The Hamas-run Gaza government claimed Israel had removed 2,000 bodies from cemeteries. Israel has not commented on these claims but has previously stated that bodies were returned after confirming they were not Israeli hostages.