EU, US hold talks to avert possible war over Haniya's murder

After Ismail Haniyeh, head of the Political Bureau of the Palestinian Hamas movement was killed in Tehran, European and American high-ranking diplomats held urgent talks in the Middle East to prevent a large-scale war in the region, Azernews reports, citing foreign media outlets.

According to sources, Enrique Mora, Undersecretary General for Political Affairs of the EU External Action Service, held "vital" talks in Tehran, while Brett McGurk, the Middle East and North Africa coordinator of the White House National Security Council, was in Saudi Arabia.

The unnamed officials told the media that the discussions were aimed at persuading Iran to either not respond to the attack, which it blames on Israel, or to limit itself to symbolic actions. "Since last night, everyone has been pressuring Tehran not to respond and to hold back," a Western diplomat participating in the negotiation process told the publication.

It should be recalled that earlier "The New York Times" reported that Iran's Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei ordered direct strikes on Israel in response to the killing of Ismail Haniyeh, the head of the Political Bureau of the Palestinian Hamas movement in Tehran.