Iran said on Wednesday that reaching a cease-fire and securing an Israeli withdrawal from Gaza are top priorities for Tehran even as it seeks retaliation for the killing of Hamas’ political leader Ismail Haniyeh.
“We have pursued two priorities simultaneously: first, establishing a durable cease-fire in Gaza and the withdrawal of the occupiers [Israeli military] from this territory; second, punishing the aggressor for the assassination of Martyr Haniyeh,” Iran’s permanent mission to the United Nations said in a statement late on Wednesday.
The statement comes as Washington intensifies its efforts to reach a cease-fire that could avert Iranian retaliation against Israel and a potential regional war.
“We are as close as we think we have ever been” National Security Council spokesperson John Kirby said on Wednesday regarding a deal that would see the release of Hamas-held hostages and a cease-fire in Gaza. “There is a good proposal before both sides and they need to both accept that proposal so we can get this in place.”
On Tuesday, US Secretary of State Antony Blinken said the negotiations are in their “final stage.”
“The negotiations have reached their final stage, and we believe strongly that they should come across the finish line very, very soon,” he said.
Fears of an Iranian attack grew on Wednesday. Egypt reportedly told its airlines to avoid Iranian airspace early Thursday morning local time, while New York Times journalist Farnaz Fassihi reported that Iran issued a NOTAM warning, a safety notice given to pilots, that gunfire will occur for several hours on Wednesday evening into Thursday over several parts of the country. Iran said that gunfire will be part of a military exercise, Fassihi noted in a post on X.
Iran has issued eight “missile, gun, or rocket firing” NOTAMS since July 31, according to the Washington-based Critical Threats Project. Two of the notices, in effect from Tuesday to Thursday, pertain to areas near civilian flight paths in western Iran that “presumably need to clear prior to conducting a retaliatory attack on Israel,” the project noted in a Tuesday report.
