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
Israel launched an interceptor towards a second missile fired from Yemen on Friday, its military said, as the U.S. intensifies its strikes in Yemen against the Iran-backed Houthi group.
Iran accused the United States on Thursday of "contradictory behaviour and provocative statements" after Washington warned Tehran of consequences for backing Yemen's Houthis and imposed new oil-related sanctions on it in the midst of nuclear talks.
The United States on Wednesday imposed sanctions on entities it accused of being involved in the illicit trade of Iranian petroleum and petrochemicals ahead of a new round of U.S.-Iran negotiations on Saturday, as Washington seeks to ramp up pressure on Tehran.
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