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Singapore is deeply concerned about recent developments in the Middle East, including the killing of the Hamas political leader in Iran who was involved in negotiations for a ceasefire in Gaza,
a spokesman for the Ministry of Foreign Affairs (MFA) said in a statement Singapore calls on all parties to take de-escalatory steps to avoid exacerbating tensions and a wider regional conflagration,
the MFA spokesperson added We don’t believe that an escalation is inevitable and there’s no sign that an escalation is imminent,
US National Security Council spokesperson John Kirby told reporters, adding Mora used his interactions with officials of the incoming Iranian administration in Tehran to convey the EU’s position on all issues of concern related to Iran in line with our policy of critical engagement,
said EU foreign policy spokesperson Peter Stano Everyone since last night is putting pressure on Tehran to not respond and to contain this,
said one western diplomat involved in the discussions My sense is Pezeshkian will not have an impact on the decision,
said Suzanne Maloney, vice president and director of foreign policy at the Brookings Institution and a long-time Iran expert This attack was a huge slap in the face for Iran’s status in the region,
Ali Akbar Behmanesh, a prominent politician and a leader of Pezeshkian’s campaign, said in an interview A regional escalation against a key US ally will shut the already extremely narrow window there might have been for diplomatic engagement,
I have not seen a decision by Iran to move” in a way that signals Iran was definitely developing a weapon
Sullivan said at the same event Instead of being at least a year away from having breakout capacity to produce fissile material for a nuclear weapon, they’re probably one or two weeks away from doing that,
Secretary of State Antony Blinken said on July 19 at the Aspen Security Forum We will make the occupying terrorist regime regret its action,
The attack injects a major crisis for Iran’s new president on his first day on the job,
Ali Vaez, head of the Iran project at the International Crisis Group, said on Wednesday The outcome of the response from Hezbollah, Iran, and the broader Axis of Resistance is critical,
Hezbollah is likely to retaliate and is looking for a type of operation that will be proportional to the attack on Beirut in the sense that it will be a military target of great significance to Israel, perhaps Israel's military headquarters in Tel Aviv,
We should keep in mind that the Israelis are trying to drag the U.S. into a direct war with Iran,
I think Iran and other members of the Axis of Resistance can attack the biggest city of Israel, Tel Aviv, and even Haifa,
If we track Iran's previous responses, ... I'd argue that they would opt for a response that has the loudest political message, with the least physical damage."
This gap has existed during the past years with the assassination of Iran's nuclear scientists and the sabotage of Iran's military and nuclear facilities by Israel,
For Iran, ... the strategic dilemma is how to restore its deterrence without risking an all-out war."
On the one hand, Iran must give a deterrent answer to Israel,