Iran's Deputy Foreign Minister: Our Relations with Hamas Have Never Been Severed

Hosseyn Amir-Abdollahian, Iran's Deputy Foreign Minister for Arab and African Affairs, emphasized the "continued support of Iran for the oppressed Palestinian people" and added that "Iran's relations with Hamas have never been severed." Mr. Abdollahian, speaking in an interview with the Fars news agency on Saturday, January 6, also announced that Khaled Mashal, the head of Hamas's political bureau, "will soon travel to Tehran." Meanwhile, this senior Iranian official stated that he cannot yet specify an exact date for Mashal's visit to Iran and that "information will be provided once it is confirmed." The "upcoming" visit of Khaled Mashal to Tehran comes less than a month after a Hamas delegation visited Iran. The Hamas delegation, led by Mohammad Nasr, met with senior Iranian government officials and heads of organizations supporting the Palestinian cause. Concurrently with the Hamas delegation's presence in Tehran, Abu Obeida, the spokesman for Hamas's military wing in the Gaza Strip, expressed gratitude for the assistance of the Islamic Republic of Iran during a parade of the organization's militants on the anniversary of the establishment of Hamas. In the last Hamas parade, longer-range rockets and the "Ababil" drone were displayed. Hamas was involved in a 51-day war with the Israeli army last summer, resulting in the deaths of over 2,100 Palestinians and significant damage to Gaza. Following the cooling of relations between Hamas and Iran due to Syria, the relationship between the Palestinian Islamic Jihad organization and the Islamic Republic of Iran has warmed. Iranian officials have met several times in recent months with Ramadan Abdullah Shalah, the Secretary-General of the Palestinian Islamic Jihad. Shalah was able to meet with Ayatollah Khamenei during his recent trip to Tehran. The invitation for the head of Hamas's political bureau to visit Iran comes at a time when Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, the leader and commander-in-chief of the Iranian armed forces, has emphasized several times in recent months that Palestinians in the West Bank should also be armed like those in Gaza, as "the only way to destroy this vile regime is through decisive and armed resistance." Ali Shirazi, the representative of the Supreme Leader in the Quds Force, the IRGC's overseas branch, also stated last week in an interview with the Tasnim news agency that Iran "will provide the necessary support for arming the West Bank." Meanwhile, Khaled Mashal, in a speech at the ruling party's annual congress in Konya, Turkey, on Saturday, January 6, described Turkey as a "source of power" for resolving the Palestinian issue and expressed gratitude for Turkey's support for Hamas and the Palestinians. Despite the official invitation from Iran to Mashal, Hamas officials stated that their close relations with Qatar continue, and Doha continues to provide financial assistance to Hamas. Statements from Hamas officials regarding continued support from Qatar come amid reports from Arab media in recent days that Qatar is limiting its assistance to Hamas to pressure its leaders to change some policies. Arab media have reported that Qatar's contacts with Hamas are being limited following Qatar's reconciliation with Egypt. However, Hamas leaders have stated that Qatar will continue to be a supporter of Hamas. In recent years, Hamas leaders, including Khaled Mashal, have made Doha their main center of activities, and Mashal himself lived in Doha. Arab media have reported that with the improvement of relations between Hamas and the Islamic Republic of Iran, there is a possibility that Hamas may move its main office to Tehran for the first time. Hamas has had a representative office in Iran since its establishment, but its leaders have never resided in Iran. Arab media emphasize that Hassan Nasrallah, the Secretary-General of Hezbollah in Lebanon, has worked successfully to improve relations between Hamas and Iran, but similar efforts by Nasrallah to reconcile Bashar al-Assad, the President of Syria, with Hamas leaders have not yet succeeded. Bashar al-Assad recently harshly criticized Hamas, stating that Syria had provided many facilities for Hamas's activities over the years but later faced betrayal from Hamas. Since the beginning of the Syrian civil war in early 2011, Hamas has distanced itself from Bashar al-Assad and his government; Syria, expressing anger over Hamas's lack of support, sealed the offices of the organization and expelled its leaders. Hamas's lack of support for Syria has led to a cooling of relations between Hamas and the Islamic Republic of Iran in recent years.