TEHRAN – Iran marked the first anniversary of Hamas Political Bureau Chief Ismail Haniyeh's assassination with resolute declarations that his path of resistance “will continue with strength,” describing his killing as an Israeli crime that only strengthened the resolve to liberate Palestine.

The Islamic Republic's Foreign Ministry, President Masoud Pezeshkian, and the Islamic Revolution Guard Corps (IRGC) issued separate statements commemorating Haniyeh, assassinated by the Israeli regime on July 31, 2024, while he was an official guest in Tehran for President Pezeshkian's inauguration ceremony.

The Foreign Ministry described him as a “steadfast mujahid” in a statement on Friday, declaring: “The path of Martyr Haniyeh and other martyrs of the Resistance will continue with strength until the liberation of the oppressed Palestinian people from the yoke of the occupiers and the realization of their right to self-determination.”

It condemned his killing in Tehran as “a colossal crime and a gross violation of international law, national sovereignty, and the territorial integrity of Iran,” asserting it was part of Israel’s “evil colonial scheme to eliminate the Palestinian people.”

The Ministry demanded prosecution of the perpetrators and an end to their impunity. “The terrorist and criminal nature of [the Israeli regime] is more evident to everyone than ever before,” the statement continued, asserting that the U.S. and Western states have been “accomplices and partners” through military and political support. It emphasized Iran's “resolve to decisively exercise its inherent right to self-defense” against Israeli aggression.

President Pezeshkian recalled the assassination on social media: “Last year, on my first day of responsibility, our official guest, the freedom-loving brother 'Ismail Haniyeh,' was assassinated by the Zionist regime. This regime's war crimes are a disgrace to humanity.” He added: “We stand firm in defending Iran and supporting the right to self-determination of the Palestinian people.”

The IRGC saluted Gaza’s “resistance and resilience against genocide,” calling them proofs of commitment to “liberating Palestine and Al-Quds” and the continuation of Haniyeh’s path.

It condemned his assassination in Tehran as a “criminal act,” stating “the hidden capacities of the Resistance guarantee the victory of Gaza and the humiliation of [the Israeli regime's] supporters.”

The IRGC also declared Operation Al-Aqsa Flood in October 2023, “guaranteed by the pure blood of martyrs like Haniyeh and Yahya Sinwar,” was not a one-time event but an enduring “operational strategy.” It reiterated Haniyeh’s creed: “We do not recognize, we do not recognize, we will never recognize Israel.”

The Israeli regime assassinated Haniyeh alongside his bodyguard in a targeted strike in northern Tehran—a brazen violation of sovereignty during high-level diplomacy.

Tehran condemned the assassination as an act of terrorism aimed at decapitating the Resistance and undermining the Palestinian cause, with the Leader of the Islamic Revolution, Ayatollah Seyyed Ali Khamenei, asserting: “We consider it our duty to avenge his blood.”

Iran’s response materialized in Operation True Promise 2 (October 1, 2024), a large-scale missile and drone barrage launched from Iranian territory against strategic Israeli military and intelligence targets. Officials explicitly described this as self-defense under international law and direct retaliation for Israeli aggression, including Haniyeh’s assassination.