Israel-Iran conflict latest: Biden holds crisis talks amid fears of ‘imminent’ retaliation from Tehran

US president Joe Biden held «round-the-clock» crisis talks on Monday amid fears of an imminent retaliation from Iran that could bring the Middle East to the brink of an all-out regional war.

Mr Biden and secretary of state Antony Blinken engaged in frantic diplomacy to try to ease tensions triggered by a suspected Israeli attack that killed Hamas political leader Ismail Haniyeh in Tehran.

Tehran said retaliation was inevitable and that «punishing the aggressor» was the only way to «establish stability in the region». Iran's foreign ministry yesterday called on the US to stop supporting Israel.

Haniyeh was assassinated while visiting Tehran for the new Iranian president’s swearing-in ceremony last week. He was assassinated just hours after Israel killed Hezbollah senior commander Fuad Shukr in Beirut.

Both Hamas and Hezbollah are backed by Iran in what it calls an “axis of resistance”. Haniyeh’s death was one in a series of killings of senior Hamas figures, as the war in Gaza between Hamas and Israel nears its 11th month.

In response to the escalating conflict, the US has deployed additional military resources across the Middle East, while trying to ease tensions diplomatically and urge restraint.

Iran believes it needs to punish Israel to prevent further instability in the Middle East after the deaths of Hamas and Hezbollah leaders last week, the foreign ministry said.

“Iran seeks to establish stability in the region, but this will only come with punishing the aggressor and creating deterrence against the adventurism of the Zionist regime (Israel),” Nasser Kanaani said, adding that action from Tehran was inevitable.

Mr Kanaani called on the US to stop supporting Israel, saying the international community had failed in