DUBAI (Reuters) – Iran will not stay quiet over aggression, President Masoud Pezeshkian told French counterpart Emmanuel Macron according to state media on Wednesday, amid fears of more regional conflict after the killing in Tehran last week of Hamas’ leader.
“Iran will never remain silent in the face of aggression against its interests and security”, Pezeshkian told Macron in a phone call, criticising Israel over the 10-month Gaza war.
“If the United States and the Western countries are truly seeking to prevent war in the region, they must force this regime (Israel) to stop the genocide and attacks on Gaza and accept a ceasefire,” he said, according to the media.
An emergency meeting of the Organisation of Islamic Cooperation was being held on Wednesday in Saudi Arabia at Iran’s request to discuss the killing of Ismail Haniyeh, the former leader of Palestinian militant group Hamas.
Tehran and Iran-aligned groups such as Hamas and Hezbollah have accused Israel of killing Haniyeh on July 31. His death was one in a series of killings of senior Hamas figures during the war.
Israeli officials have not claimed responsibility for Haniyeh’s death.
(Reporting by Parisa Hafezi and Elwely Elwelly; Editing by Andrew Cawthorne)
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