“Our priority is to establish a lasting ceasefire in Gaza; any agreement accepted by Hamas will also be recognized by us. The Israeli regime has violated our national security and sovereignty through its recent act of terrorism. We have the legitimate right to self-defense — a matter totally unrelated to the Gaza ceasefire. However, we hope that our response will be timed and conducted in a manner not to the detriment of the potential ceasefire," the statement said on Friday.
Last week, Palestinian movement Hamas said that an Israeli attack had killed Hamas political chief Ismail Haniyeh at his residence in Tehran, where he had arrived after attending the inauguration of Iran's new president. Iran's Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei has warned of a "harsh response" to the assassination.
"Direct and intermediary official channels to exchange messages have always existed between Iran and the United States, the details of which both parties prefer to remain untold,” the statement added.