Iran speaks to Hamas about annexation

Iran’s parliament speaker Mohammad Bagher Qalibaf reached out to Hamas in recent days to speak with Hamas leader Ismail Haniyah, according to Iran’s Tasnim news agency. Ostensibly the discussion was to listen to Hamas mourn the memory of IRGC Quds Force head Qasem Soleimani. In fact the discussion was about confronting Israel and getting the “Zionists” to “leave the occupied territories.”

The two men discussed how regional powers have been silent in the face of Israel’s action and appeared to slam Gulf countries for discussing normalizing ties. Haniyeh expressed his appreciation for Iran’s support and said they hoped they could work together to thwart US President Donald Trump’s “Deal of the Century” peace plan. They also opposed annexation.

“We are at the height of our power,” said Haniyah. Hamas recently fired rockets into the ocean to show its strength. He claimed that Israel was declining. Qalibaf is one of the most extreme right speakers of parliament in recent memory in Iran. He spoke about showing Israel the “language of resistance.”

Iran is clearly paying close attention to the proposed annexation of part of the West Bank because the Iranian speaker mentioned it several times in the conversation, according to the report.