Iran’s permanent mission to the United Nations says the Islamic Republic will carefully plan the timing and manner of its response to the Israeli assassination of Hamas’s political leader Ismail Haniyeh to ensure “maximum surprise” and “deterrence” are achieved.

According to The Iran Project, “The timing, conditions, and manner of Iran’s response will be meticulously orchestrated to ensure that it occurs at a moment of maximum surprise; perhaps when their eyes are fixed on the skies and their radar screens, they will be taken by surprise from the ground—or perhaps even by a combination of both,” the mission said in a statement on Wednesday night.

Haniyeh was assassinated in a targeted strike on his residence in northern Tehran hours after he had attended the inauguration ceremony of Iran’s newly-elected president, Masoud Pezeshkian, late in July. Iran vowed to deliver a “harsh response” to the brazen act of terrorism on its soil to punish the Israeli regime.

The statement by the UN mission in New York comes amid speculation on whether Iran had intentionally delayed its response until the outcome of ceasefire talks in Gaza was clear. Two days of negotiations in Doha, mediated by Qatar and Egypt and involving the United States and Israel concluded on Friday without a breakthrough, but further talks have been planned for next week in Cairo. Hamas has boycotted the talks.

The mission said Iran will carefully calibrate its response “to avoid any possible adverse impact that could potentially influence a prospective ceasefire.”

It added that Iran’s response would serve two primary objectives: punishing the aggressor and enhancing deterrence.

“First, it must punish the aggressor for its act of terrorism, and infringements upon Iran's national sovereignty. Second, it must bolster Iran's deterrence capabilities to induce profound regret within the Israeli regime, thereby serving as a deterrent against the repetition of any act of aggression in the future,” the statement said.