Iranian FM Araghchi hosts Hamas delegation in Tehran, reinforcing regimes support for terror group

In the face of the recent condemnation from U.S. President Donald Trump over Iran’s support for the Hamas terrorist organization, Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi met with Hamas officials in Tehran. 

The Hamas delegation on Monday included Basem Naim, a senior member of Hamas' political bureau, and Osama Hamdan, a senior Hamas official in Tehran, according to a report in Iran’s Mehr News Agency. The news agency offered no details on the content of the discussions, stating only that the two Hamas leaders were in Tehran to attend the Tehran Dialogue Forum, an event hosted by the Iranian Foreign Ministry intended to promote regional cooperation and diplomacy.

Naim, a senior member of Hamas’ “Politburo,” currently resides in Qatar, along with Khaled Meshaal and Khalil al-Hayya. Osama Hamdan reportedly lives in Lebanon. 

Araghchi met several times with Hamas leaders earlier this year, including with Qatari Prime Minister Sheikh Mohammed bin Abdulrahman Al-Thani. During that visit to Qatar, Araghchi joined a meeting of the Hamas Politburo in which the group discussed ongoing hostage-ceasefire negotiations and the conditions in Gaza. 

Documents discovered by the Israel Defense Forces in Gaza revealed that Hamas and the Iranian regime were in regular communication regarding the Iranian plans to invade Israel. Hamas requested financial assistance and attempted to coordinate a collaborative attack, however, it was not able to convince Iran to actively participate in the Oct. 7, 2023, invasion and massacre. 

The Iranian regime has long provided funding to Hamas, though support was briefly reduced during the previous Trump administration due to stringent sanctions on Iran and a dispute over Hamas’ backing of a militant group opposed to then-Syrian President Bashar al-Assad.

Assad was a key player in the Iranian attempt to create a land corridor to the Mediterranean Sea, using its proxies in Iraq, its relationship with Assad, and its main proxy, Hezbollah, in Lebanon. 

However, the rift between Hamas and Iran was patched over by former Quds Force commander Qassem Soleimani shortly before his assassination in 2020 by the U.S.

According to reports from the Emirati news outlet The National, Hamas leadership at one point considered leaving Qatar during the war due to U.S. pressure on the Qatari government. The report indicated that the leaders were considering a move to Iraq or Turkey, but also stated that Iran was willing to provide security for the Hamas leadership in Iraq. 

Shortly after that report, while visiting Iran for the inauguration of then newly-elected Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian, Hamas political leader Ismail Haniyeh was killed in an Israeli attack, while staying at a residence of Iran's Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps officers in the capital city of Tehran. 

The assassination shocked Iran and may have played a part in the decision of the Hamas leadership not to leave Qatar. Reports indicated that the United States and Qatar both urged the Israeli government not to assassinate Hamas leaders in Qatar. 

Although no such attempts were made during the war, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu appeared to suggest that such action could be considered in the future.

“I instructed the Mossad to act against the Hamas leaders,” Netanyahu emphasized at the time. 

Meanwhile, Turkey has also continued to host Hamas leaders, including hosting a delegation of leaders for a meeting with Turkish Foreign Minister Hakan Fidan in April. The meeting reportedly “focused on coordinating humanitarian aid efforts and reinforcing international cooperation to address the dire conditions facing Gaza’s 2.3 million residents.” 

The Turkish government has refused to condemn Hamas following the Oct. 7, 2023, attack in the Jewish state and, instead, has increasingly condemned Israel.