Iran’s FM To UN Chief: We Will Punish Criminal Zionists

“The Zionist entitys terrorist act of assassinating Ismail Haniyeh in Tehran did not only violate the territorial integrity and national sovereignty of the Islamic Republic, but also endangered regional and international peace and stability,” Bagheri Kani said during a telephone conversation with UN Secretary General Antonio Guterres on Thursday, a day after Haniyeh was assassinated in the “Israeli” act of terror.

He further stressed that “Iran will not forgo its inherent right to defend itself and take reciprocal action to punish the criminal Zionists.”

The top Iranian diplomat also emphasized the need for holding an emergency meeting of the foreign ministers of the Organization of Islamic Cooperation [OIC] to condemn and confront the criminal actions of the occupying regime.

In parallel, he referred to Wednesday’s meeting of the UN Security Council, during which the United States and European countries prevented the body from denouncing Haniyeh’s assassination.

The aggressive “Israeli” action will put regional peace and stability at risk, he warned, calling on the international community to stand up against the criminal entity.

Haniyeh, who was in Tehran to attend the swearing-in ceremony of Iran's newly-elected President Masoud Pezeshkian, was assassinated along with his bodyguard, in an “Israeli” attack on his residence in northern Tehran early on Wednesday.