Iran’s Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei met senior Hamas leaders in Tehran on Saturday, just days after US President Donald Trump declared his intention to occupy the Gaza Strip.
Iranian state media described the meeting as a routine visit, stating that Hamas leaders were in Tehran to congratulate Khamenei on the anniversary of Iran’s 1979 Islamic Revolution.
On meeting the delegation, Khamenei commended Hamas, which he described their resistance against the state of Israel as defeat of both the zionist regime and the US. “You did not let them win even one of these objectives,” he said to them.
The Hamas representatives, including acting leader Khalil al-Hayya, Mohammad Darwish, and Nizar Awadallah, updated the situation in Gaza and the West Bank, speaking of what they described as recent “victories and successes.”
“We come to meet with you today with pride,” Al-Hayya told Khamenei.
Hamas is a key member of the Iran-backed ‘Axis of Resistance,’ a coalition of regional groups opposing Israel. Both Iran and Hamas remain committed to Israel’s destruction.
Khamenei dismissed US threats against Iran, stating they “have no effect on the mindset of our nation.”
Following controversial policy announcement during which he sought US control over Gaza after the war, Trump floated the idea of relocating Palestinians to neighbouring countries like Egypt or Jordan. At the same time, Trump had reinstated his ‘maximum pressure’ strategy on Iran but opened up for possible new nuclear talks.
