Hamas chief Ismail Haniyeh, killed in Iran, shared stage with Nitin Gadkari, others yesterday

Ismail Haniyeh killed in Iran: Hamas leader Ismail Haniyeh was killed by a pre-dawn airstrike in Iran on Wednesday, less than 24 hours after he shared the stage with Union minister Nitin Gadkari and leaders from other countries at the inauguration ceremony of Iran's reformist President Masoud Pezeshkian in Tehran.

Tuesday's ceremony was also attended by senior officials from several countries including Armenia, Tajikistan, Egypt, Sudan, Iraq, Turkey, Saudi Arabia, Azerbaijan, Cuba and Brazil. European Union envoy Enrique Mora was also present, news agency AFP reported.

Regional Iran-backed allies were also in attendance, namely Hamas leader Ismail Haniyeh and the head of the Islamic Jihad Ziyad al-Nakhalah. Lebanon's Hezbollah movement was represented by the group's deputy secretary general Naim Qassem while the Yemen's Huthi rebels sent spokesman Mohammed Abdulsalam.

Watch: Israel-Hamas war latest: Hamas leader Ismail Haniyeh was assassinated in Tehran Iran

Iran's supreme leader vows revenge against Israel

Iran and the militant group said, blaming Israel for a shock assassination of Ismail Haniyeh that risks escalating the conflict even as the US and other nations were scrambling to prevent an all-out regional war. Iran's supreme leader vowed revenge against Israel.

There was no immediate comment from Israel, which has pledged to kill Ismail Haniyeh and other Hamas leaders over the group’s October 7 attack on southern Israel in which the Palestinian militant group killed 1,200 people and took some 250 others hostage.

The strike on Ismail Haniyeh came only hours after Israel targeted a top commander in Iran's ally Hezbollah in the Lebanese capital Beirut.

Nitin Gadkari attends President Masoud Pezeshkian's inauguration ceremony

Nitin Gadkari's presence in Tehran reflects close ties between the two countries. Pezeshkian was sworn-in as Iran's ninth president over three weeks after he defeated hardliner Saeed Jalili in a run-off election.

The presidential election was necessitated following the death of hardline President Ebrahim Raisi in a helicopter crash in May.

The ministry of external affairs (MEA) said Nitin Gadkari conveyed good wishes from Prime Minister Narendra Modi to President Pezeshkian on assuming the office.

"During Minister Nitin Gadkari's interactions in Iran, both sides positively assessed the state of bilateral relations, including cooperation on the development of Chabahar Port," it said.

In a post on 'X', Gadkari said: “Heartfelt congratulations to H.E. @drpezeshkian on behalf of Hon'ble PM Shri @narendramodi Ji, the Indian Government and people of India.”

"We look forward to continued collaboration and mutual growth, reaffirming our commitment to furthering India-Iran relations across various sectors for the prosperity and development of both countries," he said.

(With inputs from AFP, PTI)