Fact-Checking | Islamic Republic's Support for Hamas and Hezbollah Amid Accusations Against Ukraine

The Poligraph website, a fact-checking project of Voice of America, has examined the claims made by officials of the Islamic Republic and Russia regarding Hamas's access to Western weapons. Russia and its allies continue to use the terrorist attack by Hamas militants on Israel on October 7 to undermine Western support for Ukraine. Moscow has repeatedly claimed, without providing any evidence, that the weapons supplied by the West to bolster Ukraine's defense capabilities have been funneled out of the country through a 'black market.' However, Poligraph assesses this claim as baseless and incorrect. Recently, a senior Iranian official made an unsubstantiated claim about the easy access of the Shiite militant group Hezbollah in Lebanon and the Gaza-based Hamas to illegal weapons through Ukraine, asserting that Iran has stopped providing arms to these groups. Hossein Amir-Abdollahian, the Iranian Foreign Minister, stated at the 21st Doha Forum in Qatar on December 11 that the Iranian government had previously supported Hezbollah, Hamas, and Islamic Jihad considering international laws and in the context of confronting Israel. Amir-Abdollahian then repeated Kremlin's misinformation, saying, 'If you ask me where they can obtain weapons, I would say one of the black markets they [Hamas and Hezbollah] can access is Ukraine. They can easily obtain whatever they need in Ukraine without much effort.' However, this claim is unfounded and likely false, with no evidence suggesting that Hamas or Hezbollah can acquire weapons in Ukraine. In contrast, Iran has a proven record of providing financial and military support to these groups and has politically and militarily backed Moscow in the war against Ukraine. The Institute for the Study of War, a Washington-based think tank, states that the Kremlin is using Hamas's attacks in Israel to advance several information operations aimed at reducing U.S. and Western support for Ukraine. Dmitry Medvedev, former President and Prime Minister of Russia, now Deputy Chairman of the Security Council of Russia, claimed on November 9 without providing evidence that 'tanks,' 'jets,' 'missiles,' and other weapons supplied by the West to help Ukraine defend itself end up in the 'black market.' These claims come at a time when there are multilateral efforts by the U.S., Europe, and Ukraine to ensure transparency in arms transfers and their optimal use. The U.S. government has outlined 'specific steps' it is taking to address threats from potential arms diversion in Eastern Europe. The U.S. government is legally obligated to ensure that defense items provided to U.S. partners and allies are used as intended. Ukraine, which relies on Western weapons to defend itself against the Russian invading force, is also serious about combating illegal trafficking that could jeopardize Western support. Ilva Johansson, the EU Commissioner for Home Affairs, stated last spring in an interview with Reuters, 'We have not seen any trafficking of firearms out of Ukraine.' Nevertheless, fake news regarding the false claim of Hamas using weapons from Ukraine has circulated on social media. This misinformation includes a fake claim that Ukraine is supplying weapons to Hamas and a fake Washington Post article claiming that arms logistics from Ukraine to Hamas have tripled in a month. In 2022, before the Israel-Hamas war, social media users also spread the false claim that Ukraine sold U.S.-supplied Javelin anti-tank missile systems to Hezbollah and Hamas. On the other hand, Ukraine has accused Russia of supplying weapons to Hamas that were seized in Ukraine, although there is no evidence to support this claim. However, the Iranian government's support for regional militants is well-documented. For decades, Iran has supported Hezbollah, a Shiite Muslim political party and militant group based in Lebanon, whose military wing is more powerful than the Lebanese army. Hezbollah has played a significant role in the proxy conflict between Iran and Israel and in the Israel-Lebanon conflict. In 2020, the U.S. State Department estimated that Iran provides $700 million annually in financial assistance to Hezbollah. Experts estimate that Hezbollah's arsenal of over 100,000 missiles has increased tenfold since the group's war with Israel in 2006. The Iranian government provides weapons, funding, and training to Hamas. Relations between Hamas and Iran deepened after Hamas's victory in the Palestinian parliamentary elections in 2006 and the forcible takeover of the Gaza Strip in 2007. There is no indication that Iran has ever stopped this support. In November, the U.S. Treasury sanctioned 21 individuals and entities linked to Iran for participating in illegal financial schemes to create funding sources for fueling conflict and spreading terror throughout the region. These illegal activities include supporting 'proxy groups' such as Hamas and Hezbollah. Iran's role in the October 7 terrorist attack by Hamas militants remains unclear; however, it is evident that Iran has provided drones and other support to Russia in the Ukraine war. Hamas militants killed at least 1,200 people in the October 7 terrorist attack on Israel and took about 240 hostages, including children, women, and the elderly. Israel has launched air, sea, and ground attacks on Gaza, calling for the eradication of Hamas. The U.S., Canada, the U.K., the EU, Japan, Israel, and several other countries have designated Hamas as a terrorist organization. The U.S. has sanctioned Iranian individuals for providing these drones, noting that they are used to attack civilian targets. The U.S. states that Iran has violated UN Security Council Resolution 2231, 'a resolution that prohibits the provision of Iranian military drones to Russia without case-by-case approval from the UN Security Council.'