Iranian American Group Says Biden Must Change Course to Avert 'Bloody Regional War'

A U.S.-based organization that represents Iranian Americans said Wednesday was among those urging the Biden administration to end its "feckless approach" toward Israel's assault on the Gaza Strip and urgently work to prevent an all-out regional war following the assassination of Hamas political leader Ismail Haniyeh in Tehran.

The assassination, widely assumed to have been carried out by the Israeli military early Wednesday morning, "killed immediate hopes of ending this war before it spirals into a regional conflagration that pulls in the United States," Jamal Abdi, president of the National Iranian American Council (NIAC), said in a statement.

"Hamas has engaged in many clear and disturbing violations of international law, including in the October 7th attacks, but the assassination of one of its prominent leaders and cease-fire negotiators in Iran's capital is a highly provocative act that tips the scales further in the direction of a bloody regional war," Abdi continued. "Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, fresh off dissonant applause in the U.S. Congress, must have felt a green light to engage in further reckless attacks to extend the war—and extend his own political career that is widely believed will end if and when the war does."

Abdi called on the Biden administration—which has backed Israel's war on Gaza with diplomatic support and weaponry—to finally use its leverage to force the Israeli government to accept a cease-fire deal before the volatile situation descends into a full-blown military conflict potentially involving the U.S., Israel, Hamas, Hezbollah, Iran, and other actors.

U.S. President Joe Biden, Abdi argued, must "make clear that a regional war is unacceptable and that military assistance to Israel will be leveraged to secure an end to the conflict."

The suspected Israeli killing of Haniyeh came hours after Israel launched an attack on the Lebanese capital of Beirut, killing a senior Hezbollah commander and amplifying fears of a wider war.

Ali Khamenei, Iran's supreme leader, pledged "harsh punishment" for Israel in the wake of Haniyeh's assassination, which could further enflame tensions between the U.S. and Iran, whose newly elected president was sworn in on Tuesday. It's possible that Iran could retaliate against Israel in concert with Hezbollah and other allies in the region.

While U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinkensaid Wednesday that the Biden administration was "not aware of or involved in" Haniyeh's assassination, Iran's ambassador to the United Nations wrote in a letter to the U.N. Security Council that the killing "could not have occurred without the authorization and intelligence support of the U.S."

"The Islamic Republic of Iran will not hesitate to exercise its inherent right to self-defense, as enshrined in Article 51 of the United Nations Charter, to respond decisively and promptly," the letter added.

Axios reported Wednesday that, internally, the Biden administration is "very concerned" that Haniyeh's assassination "could derail negotiations over the Gaza hostage and cease-fire deal and increase the risk of a regional war"—a concern that Middle East leaders also expressed.

But the Biden administration has been warned repeatedly that its continued support for Israel's assault on Gaza has dramatically increased the likelihood of a broader regional war but has refused to cut off the flow of weapons.

In a televised address Wednesday, Netanyahu vowed to "exact a heavy price from any aggression against us on any front," but did not specifically mention the assassination of Haniyeh.

Phyllis Bennis, a fellow of the U.S.-based Institute for Policy Studies, wrote in an op-ed for Common Dreams on Wednesday that "the U.S. has made clear by its actions—regardless of some politicians' rhetorical support for ending the war—that it is not prepared to do the one thing that would result in a permanent cease-fire: stop sending Israel the weapons that enable the war in Gaza."

"All the talk about Washington and Tel Aviv supporting a cease-fire or wanting the hostages returned means little when a top negotiator on the other side can be assassinated with impunity," Bennis continued. "The negotiations the Hamas leader was participating in will almost certainly be stalled, if not derailed entirely, as a result of Haniyeh’s killing. The resulting continuation of Israel’s genocidal war in Gaza matches the goal of Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, who has resisted cease-fire efforts and pledged to keep fighting until Hamas is destroyed."

"The likelihood of an expanding regional war is now exponentially higher," Bennis added, "with the danger of a much more direct conflict between Israel and Iran, and the possibility of even greater direct U.S. involvement."