TEHRAN- Iran's permanent mission to the United Nations has announced that the Islamic Republic will strategically plan the timing and method of its response to the assassination of Hamas's political leader, Ismail Haniyeh.

The statement from the UN mission in New York comes amid speculation regarding whether Iran has intentionally postponed its response until the results of ceasefire discussions in Gaza become clearer. 

“The timing, conditions, and execution of Iran's response will be carefully coordinated to ensure it takes place at a moment of utmost surprise; potentially when their focus is on the skies and their radar systems, they may be caught off guard from the ground or possibly through a combination of both,” the mission stated in a release on Wednesday evening.

Two days of negotiations in Doha, facilitated by Qatar and Egypt and involving the United States and Israel, concluded on Friday without a resolution, although additional talks are scheduled for next week in Cairo. Hamas has opted out of these discussions.

The mission emphasized, “Iran will meticulously calibrate its response to prevent any potential negative consequences that could affect a possible ceasefire.”

Furthermore, it noted that Iran's response will aim to achieve two main goals: punishing the aggressor and strengthening deterrence.

“Firstly, it is essential to penalize the aggressor for its acts of terrorism and violations of Iran's national sovereignty. Secondly, it must enhance Iran's deterrent capabilities to instill significant regret within the Israeli regime, thereby acting as a deterrent against any future acts of aggression,” the statement concluded.

Haniyeh was martyred in a targeted attack at his residence in northern Tehran shortly after attending the inauguration of Iran's newly-elected president, Masoud Pezeshkian, on July 31. 

Ayatollah Seyed Ali Khamenei, the Leader of the Islamic Revolution, has pledged to deliver a “harsh response” to this audacious act of terrorism on its territory as a means of punishing the Israeli regime.