Iran says it will respond forcefully to Haniyeh's killing on its soil despite Jordan's mediation

Shafaq News/ Iranian officials on Sunday threatened "forceful" retaliation against Israel's acts of aggression, even as Jordan stepped up mediation efforts to defuse rising tensions in the Middle East.

Iranian officials told Qatar's Al Jazeera that their country would deliver "decisive messages" to Jordan, Israel, and the US through the Jordanian foreign minister, Ahmed al-Safadi, who is expected to visit the Iranian capital, Tehran, later today. 

While expressing respect for the Jordanian mediation role, Iranian officials said it would not react to the Israeli attack on its soil with "no or symbolic response". The country also accused Israel of crossing "all red lines" and vowed "serious consequences" for its actions.

The heightened rhetoric follows the assassination of Hamas's political leader, Ismail Haniyeh, in Tehran, which the country's Islamic Revolutionary Guards blamed on Tel Aviv and its ally Washington. 

The officials dismissed the international pressure as an attempt to depict Iran as a "weak state" that "accepts mediation after transgressions". 

The Jordanian Foreign Ministry said al-Safadi will convey a message from King Abdullah II to Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian regarding regional developments and bilateral relations.

The top diplomat will also hold talks with his Iranian counterpart Ali Bagheri Kani during his visit, the ministry said. 

Hamas and Iran have accused Israel of carrying out Haniyeh's assassination, while Tel Aviv has not confirmed or denied its responsibility.

The assassination came one day after Israel killed senior Hezbollah commander Fouad Shukr in an airstrike in Beirut's southern suburb. Iran-backed Hezbollah has vowed to retaliate his killing.

In April, during Iran's first direct attack on Israel, some missiles and drones crossed Jordanian airspace, with some intercepted by the kingdom's defenses for violating its sovereignty.

The tension comes against the backdrop of an Israeli onslaught on Gaza, which has killed nearly 39,600 victims since last October, following an attack by Hamas on Israeli settlements near Gaza.