MOSCOW, July 31. /TASS/. The politically motivated assassination of Ismail Haniyeh, head of the political bureau of the Palestinian movement Hamas, will further escalate tensions in the Middle East, the Russian embassy in Iran said in a statement.

"It’s an absolutely unacceptable political crime, which will further escalate tensions in the Middle East and negatively affect talks on a ceasefire for the Gaza Strip," the statement reads.

The embassy pointed out that diplomats "were shocked by the brazen assassination of the Hamas political bureau chief in Tehran." "We offer our condolences to the family and friends of the deceased," the statement added.

Iran’s Tasnim news agency reported on Wednesday morning that Haniyeh had been killed in Tehran. Hamas said that his death was the result of an Israeli strike on a residence where Haniyeh was staying during a visit to Iran for the inauguration of the country’s President-elect Masoud Pezeshkian. The Israeli army declined to comment on these reports.