Report: US diplomacy might be paying off in curbing Iranian attack

The United States’ diplomatic efforts to temper Iran’s retaliation for the assassination of Hamas leader Ismail Haniyeh, which Tehran blames on Israel, might be working, White House officials tell The Washington Post.

Iran has threatened to “punish” Israel for the killing, warning its response will be harsher than its attack on April 13-14, while the Lebanon-based Hezbollah terror group has threatened a response to Israel’s killing of top commander Fuad Shukr in Beirut, raising fears of regional war.

But Iran may yet rethink its plans after the US rushed its forces to the region and passed along messages to Iran warning of serious consequences for the new government of President Masoud Pezeshkian, The Washington Post reports.

“Iran understands clearly that the United States is unwavering in its defense of our interests, our partners and our people. We have moved a significant amount of military assets to the region to underscore that principle,” a senior Biden administration official tells The Post.

Though Iran first claimed that an Israeli missile fired from nearby killed Haniyeh in a guesthouse in Tehran, Biden officials say that the regime has privately accepted that a bomb was placed in his room, which may also change Iran’s plans for a harsh response.

White House officials say that Iran-backed Hezbollah remains a “wild card.”