A ceasefire deal in Gaza would discourage Iran from retaliating against Israel for the killing of Hamas political chief Ismail Haniyeh, US President Joe Biden has claimed.

Haniyeh, who served as the Palestinian armed group’s lead negotiator in indirect talks with Israel, was assassinated in Tehran on June 31, hours after attending the inauguration of Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian. Following the incident, Iran promised to inflict a “harsh punishment” on Israel, which has neither acknowledged nor denied any role in the killing. The US has deployed additional warships and a submarine into the Middle East to protect the Jewish state from a potential attack.

Speaking to reporters on Tuesday, Biden said reaching a ceasefire deal in Gaza is “getting harder” in view of recent developments, “but I am not giving up” on a peaceful settlement between Israel and Hamas. “We will see what Iran does, and we will see what happens if there is any attack,” he added.

When asked if he believed Iran could call off its retaliation if a ceasefire agreement, which Washington has been trying to broker for months, is reached, Biden replied: “That is my expectation, but we will see.” 

The US leader was also asked to comment on media reports claiming he was putting pressure on Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu to stop making escalatory moves. The attack on Haniyeh occurred a day after the killing of a senior commander of the Lebanese movement Hezbollah, Fuad Shukr, for which the Israels took responsibility.

“If I told you what pressure I was putting on, it would not be very much pressure, would it?” Biden replied.

Last week, the US, Egypt and Qatar called on Israel and Hamas to take part in a final and decisive round of talks on the truce and exchange hostages on Thursday in Doha. The American delegation in the Qatari capital is expected to be headed by CIA director Bill Burns, according to Axios.

Reuters reported on Tuesday, citing three unnamed senior Iranian officials, that only a ceasefire deal in Gaza could “hold back” Tehran’s direct strike on Israel.

One of the sources told the agency that Iran and Hezbollah would attack Israel if the Gaza talks fail or if they perceive that Netanyahu’s government is dragging out the negotiations.

In their public statements, top Iranian officials are giving no indication that Tehran is easing off on its plan to retaliate. President Pezeshkian reiterated on Monday that Israel violated “all humanitarian and legal principles” by killing Haniyeh and that Iran “has the legitimate right” to strike back.

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