Biden says Gaza ceasefire could stop Iran attacking Israel

Iranians follow a truck, center, carrying the coffins of Hamas leader Ismail Haniyeh and his bodyguard during their funeral ceremony at Enqelab-e-Eslami (Islamic Revolution) Sq. in Tehran, Iran, Aug. 1, 2024.

U.S. President Joe Biden said Tuesday that a ceasefire deal in Gaza could deter Iran from attacking Israel in retaliation for the killing of a Hamas leader that sent regional tensions soaring.

His remarks came after Iran rejected Western calls to "stand down" its threat of reprisals.

The Islamic republic and its allies have blamed Israel for Ismail Haniyeh's killing on July 31 during a visit to Tehran for the swearing-in of Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian. Israel has not commented.

Iran has vowed to avenge the death, which came hours after an Israeli strike in Beirut killed a senior commander of Hezbollah, the powerful Iran-backed militant group in Lebanon.

Asked if a truce between Israel and Hamas could stave off an Iranian assault, Biden said: "That's my expectation".

He told reporters in New Orleans that while negotiations were "getting hard" he was "not giving up".

Western diplomats have scrambled to prevent a major conflagration in the Middle East, where tensions were already high due to the Israel-Hamas war in Gaza.

"Ten months since the start of the war, the threat of further regional escalation is more palpable, and chilling, than ever," said Rosemary DiCarlo, United Nations undersecretary general for political and peacebuilding affairs.

She called on all parties to "end all escalatory rhetoric and actions".

In a statement on Monday, the United States and its European allies urged Iran to de-escalate.

The White House warned that a "significant set of attacks" by Iran...