Iran declares three days of national mourning for Hamas chief

The Iranian government has declared three days of national mourning following the assassination in Tehran of Hamas leader Ismail Haniyeh in the early hours of Wednesday.

In an official statement issued on Wednesday, Iran’s newly elected government, led by President Masoud Pezeshkian, said the assassination of the Hamas leader has “caused grief to the Islamic nation, the devotees of the resistance movement, and all the free people of the world.”

The new government said in reference to Israel that the assassination “adds another page to the disgraceful record of crimes by the sinister and usurping Zionist entity.”

Iran has blamed Israel for the assassination, but Tel Aviv has refused to confirm or deny its involvement.

“The government of the Islamic Republic of Iran condemns this barbaric act, which was carried out with specific goals at the beginning of the National Unity Government’s work, violating all human principles and international law, and targeting an official and diplomatic guest of the Islamic Republic of Iran who was attending the presidential inauguration ceremony,” the statement added.

“This act is a clear indication of the terrorist nature of the Zionist regime and the lack of safety from the malignancy of this corrupt and incorrigible entity anywhere on the planet.”

Iran’s government called on all “independent governments and honorable and free-thinking individuals” to “confront the criminal gang ruling the occupied territories.”

The state of mourning will be observed from Wednesday to Friday.

Anadolu reported the attack targeted Haniyeh at a guesthouse for war veterans in northern Tehran. The guesthouse was reportedly managed by the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC).

The assassination of Haniyeh and one of his bodyguards was confirmed by the IRGC in a statement on Wednesday morning.

Iran’s Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei also issued a statement and said Iran considers it a duty to “avenge the dear guest’s blood.”

Pezeshkian also condemned the assassination and pledged to “defend the country’s territorial integrity, honor and dignity.”

Haniyeh was in Tehran for the swearing-in ceremony of Pezeshkian, which took place on Tuesday.

Another country to declare three days of national mourning on Wednesday was Yemen.

President Mahdi Al-Mashat said in a statement offering his condolences that Haniyeh was a dedicated Muslim leader who devoted his life to jihad against the occupation, stating that his death is a significant loss for both Palestine and the Islamic world.

He reaffirmed Yemen’s support for Hamas and the resistance axis.