TEHRAN – Iran's acting foreign minister argues that Washington cannot serve as an impartial mediator in the conflict, given its role in obstructing ceasefire efforts and backing the Zionist regime's ongoing military operations.

During a phone conversation with Egyptian foreign minister Badr Abdelatty on Saturday evening, Ali Baqeri Kani emphasized that the United States support for Israel has revealed its complicity in the atrocities and highlighted its inability to mediate fairly.

He accused the United States of deliberately placing obstacles in the path of ceasefire negotiations, thereby enabling Israel's continued aggression.

Baqeri Kani further criticized the Israeli regime for "hypocrisy and deceit" in ceasefire talks while simultaneously committing atrocities in Gaza. He also addressed the recent assassination of Hamas political bureau chief Ismail Haniyeh in Tehran, stating that Iran reserves the right to respond to this heinous crime.

Haniyeh, who had been in Tehran for the swearing-in ceremony of Iran's newly-elected President Masoud Pezeshkian, was killed alongside his bodyguard in an attack on July 31.

The incident has provoked a stern warning from Leader of Islamic Revolution Ayatollah Seyyed Ali Khamenei, who vowed harsh retaliation against Israel. Ayatollah Khamenei described Haniyeh’s assassination as a grievous loss but also a catalyst for retribution against the Zionist regime.

Egyptian foreign minister, on his part, underscored the ongoing efforts in Cairo to broker a ceasefire, expressing deep concern over the worsening humanitarian crisis in Gaza, where food and medicine are scarce, and disease is spreading. He called for urgent international consensus to bring about an immediate ceasefire.

Cairo is preparing to host the next round of indirect negotiations between Israel and Hamas, following preliminary talks in Doha that have been labeled as promising by mediators from the United States, Egypt, and Qatar.

The conflict in Gaza, which escalated on October 7 following Hamas's surprise Operation Al-Aqsa Storm, has resulted in devastating casualties.

Israel's subsequent military response has killed over 40,000 Palestinians, primarily women and children, and left tens of thousands more injured. Thousands of others remain missing and are feared dead under the rubble of destroyed buildings.

On Saturday, Gaza’s Ministry of Health said Israeli attacks had killed 69 people and injured 136 in the last 48 hours.

Over nine months into the Israeli war, vast tracts of Gaza lie in ruins amid a crippling blockade of food, clean water and medicine.

Israel continues to stand accused of genocide at the International Court of Justice, which ordered Tel Aviv to immediately halt its military operation in the southern city of Rafah, where over a million Palestinians had sought refuge from the war before it was invaded on May 6.