Iran's Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei met with acting Hamas leader Khalil al-Hayya and two other leaders of the Palestinian group in Tehran on Saturday, Iranian state media reported.
Iran's Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei meets with the head of the Political Council of Hamas, Mohammed Ismail Darwish and senior officials of Hamas, in Tehran, Iran, February 8, 2025. Office of the Iranian Supreme Leader/WANA (West Asia News Agency)/Handout via Reuters
Iran's Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei met with acting Hamas leader Khalil al-Hayya and two other leaders of the Palestinian group in Tehran on Saturday, Iranian state TV reported.
"You defeated the Zionist regime [Israel], which was in fact America's defeat," Khamenei, whose country supports Hamas in its war with Israel, told the Palestinian delegation. "You did not allow them to achieve any of their goals."
Iranian TV said the Palestinian leaders were in Tehran to congratulate Khamenei on the anniversary of the 1979 Iranian revolution. They expressed gratitude for Iran's continued support.
The delegation, which also included Mohammad Darwish, head of Hamas' leadership council, and top Hamas official Nizar Awadallah, presented Khamenei a report on the current situation in Gaza and the West Bank, and "the victories and successes that were achieved".
"We come to meet with you today with pride," the TV quoted al-Hayya as telling Khamenei.
Khamenei said U.S. threats against Iran "have no effect on the mindset of our nation," the Iranian media said.
Dubai Newsroom, Editing by Mark Potter
The United Arab Emirates announced Sunday its air defences were actively responding to Iranian missile and drone attacks, as Gulf states continue to absorb Tehran's retaliatory strikes against the US-Israeli offensive.
U.S. President Donald Trump and Iran threatened to escalate their war, targeting energy and fuel facilities in the Gulf, which could again roil global energy and financial markets and deepen a regional crisis.
Saudi Arabia ordered an Iranian diplomat and three members of his team to leave the country Saturday, as the Kingdom continues to absorb Iranian missile strikes launched in retaliation for the US-Israeli military campaign against Tehran.
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