Iran Urges Restraint in Regional Escalation and Gaza Conflict

Iran has reportedly used back channels to inform the United States that it does not want the conflict between Israel and Hamas to escalate further, but warns that continued Israeli assaults on Gaza could lead to a regional spillover. Iranian Foreign Minister Hossein Amirabdollahian stated that Iran does not want the war to spread, but if the crimes against the people of Gaza and the West Bank persist, a wider conflict could become inevitable. Iran has denied prior knowledge of the October 7 assault on Israel and has been using Israel's assault on Gaza to strengthen its regional ambitions. Amirabdollahian also denied that Iran controls regional groups like Hamas, Hezbollah, and the Houthis, but warned that these groups are not indifferent to the killing of their Muslim and Arab peers in Palestine.