Hamas says visit opens new chapter in ties with Tehran

A senior Islamic Hamas official said Thursday that a recent trip to Tehran by the movement's leadership opened a new page in cooperation between Hams and Iran.

Osama Hamdan, the movement's foreign relations chief who was also a member of the Hamas delegation, described the trip as successful.

The delegation, led by a member of its political bureau, Mohamed Nasr, returned to Gaza on Wednesday after an eight-day trip to Tehran on the occasion of the 37th anniversary of Iran's Islamic Revolution.

During the trip, the Hamas delegation met with Iranian parliament speaker Ali Larijani, and Ali Shamkhani, secretary of the Supreme National Security Council.

The movement's representative in Iran, Khaled Kadoumi, said the meetings were conducted in a "positive atmosphere" reflecting "obvious willingness to enhance relations to assist Palestinians."

In an emailed statement, Hamas said the delegation found "support for the Palestinian resistance and intifada."

The statement said the delegation also met with writers, journalists and Iranian organizations supporting the Palestinian cause, stressing that "the whole Islamic world must support Palestinians in their struggle against Israel's occupation."

Hamas-Iranian ties experienced a setback in 2011, after Hamas rescinded its ties with Damascus during Syria's internal crisis flare-up.

Hamas officials had complained that their weakened ties with Iran negatively affected the movement, particularly concerning arms and financial aid. Endit