Palestine's Hamas receives reassurance from Iranian FM

By Nour Abu Aisha

GAZA CITY, Palestine

A delegation of leading Hamas members met with Iranian Foreign Minister Mohammad Jawad Zarif in Tehran on Monday, the Palestinian resistance group has said in a statement.

“The visit has opened a new page in our bilateral relations with Iran aimed at confronting the common enemy and supporting Palestine, the Al-Aqsa Mosque and the resistance [against Israeli occupation],” the statement read.

It also quoted Zarif as saying that Iran planned to “maintain relations with the Palestinian factions, led by Hamas, and maintain its support for the Palestinian resistance”.

At Monday’s meeting, the statement noted, Zarif had described his country’s relations with Hamas as “stable”, stressing Tehran’s desire to “overcome all differences with a view to supporting Palestine, the Palestinian people and Muslim unity”.

The Hamas delegation arrived in Tehran this weekend to participate in a Saturday swearing-in ceremony for Iranian President-elect Hassan Rouhani, who beat out hardline rival Ebrahim Raisi in May 19 polls.

Hamas-Iran ties appear to be enjoying a thaw after six years of relative estrangement due to their opposing positions on the conflict in Syria, where Iran supports the regime of Syrian President Bashar al-Assad.