Iran signals promised strike on Israel may not be imminent

In a statement Wednesday, Iran’s mission to the United Nations said that any response “must be carefully calibrated to avoid any possible adverse impact that could potentially influence a prospective cease-fire,” referring to ongoing negotiations to pause the fighting in Gaza.

Still, the mission insisted that a response would come. “The timing, conditions, and manner of Iran’s response will be meticulously orchestrated to ensure that it occurs at a moment of maximum surprise,” it said.

While Tehran never said its planned retaliation for the July 31 attack that killed Haniyeh was imminent, the region went into high alert and the United States bolstered military assets in the region.

Compounding fears of regional escalation, Hezbollah had also promised revenge on Israel for an airstrike that killed a senior Hezbollah commander the day before Haniyeh was killed. Israel claimed responsibility for the strike against the Hezbollah leader, but has not publicly confirmed or denied involvement in the Iran operation.

Iranian leaders, in private meetings with the leaders of its armed proxies, had called for caution — seeking to balance any show of force with the desire to avoid an all-out war in the region.

In April, Iran launched its first-ever direct attack on Israel, firing hundreds of missiles and drones toward Israeli territory. With Tehran unsettled at home and less certain of Israeli restraint, Iranian officials have suggested another round of retaliation could take a different form.

“Perhaps when their eyes are fixed on the skies and their radar screens, they will be taken by surprise from the ground—or perhaps even by a combination of both,” the mission said, adding that the goal would be to retaliate against “infringements upon Iran’s national sovereignty” and to deter attacks in the future.

The comments come as U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken shuttled between Israel, Egypt and Qatar on a mission to pressure all sides to conclude a cease-fire between Israel and Hamas. The proposal sponsored by the United States includes a six-week cease-fire, the release of scores of Israeli hostages and Palestinian detainees, and the withdrawal of Israeli forces from major population centers in Gaza.