In an interview with NBC News, Zarif said Iran has the right to retaliate at a time of its choosing for Haniyeh’s assassination in the Iran capital Tehran in July.

After the assassination, Zarif continued, “we were asked by the international community to exercise restraint in order to bring about an end to the war in Gaza.” But the promise of a cease-fire deal never materialized, he added.

Zarif also said the Iranian government was ready to work with other countries to end the conflict in Gaza.

“We want to move in a more peaceful, more stable world for our citizens and for the citizens of the world. We don’t seek war, but we will defend ourselves,” he said.
He said the US had only itself to blame, as he said it was the US that withdrew from the 2015 nuclear accord during President Donald Trump’s administration.
“It was the miscalculation of the Trump administration that withdrew from the nuclear deal. It has been a lose-lose situation,” Zarif said.

Haniyeh was in Tehran to attend the inauguration ceremony of the new Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian on July 30, when he was assassinated at his residence.