Khaled Meshaal, the former chairman of the Hamas political bureau, said the Palestinian resistance movement has expanded its relations with Iran. “Iran and Hamas are all part of [the same] axis of resistance and need each other. We had relations with Iran in the past and continue to have at present,” ISNA quoted him as saying on Sunday. Meshaal said although Hamas’ relations with Iran were affected by “some issues” in the past, the ties were never severed and “we have the right and feel obliged to have open policies with Iran and others.” He praised Iran’s stance in the face of the recent unilateral US recognition of Beit-ul-Moqaddas as Israel’s capital. Meshaal also said his movement has “historic ties” with Lebanese group Hezbollah, adding that those ties would also continue. Iran, along with the whole international community, has condemned US President Donald Trump’s decision to recognize the holy city as Israel’s capital. Tehran does not recognize the Zionist entity and considers Israel an occupying regime.
