Iran has rejected calls to refrain from retaliatory attacks against Israel over the assassination of Hamas political leader Ismail Haniyeh, as the United States and its allies seek to avert a wider conflict in the Middle East.

“Iran is determined to defend its national security,” foreign ministry spokesman Nasser Kanaani said Tuesday as he dismissed Western urging for the Islamic Republic to avoid escalating tensions in the region.

Accusing Israel of having violated Iran’s “sovereignty and…