Report: Iran furious at Hamas’ warming ties with Saudis, cancels delegation’s visit to Tehran
Iran has canceled a scheduled visit by a Hamas delegation to the Islamic Republic in response to Hamas leader Khaled Mashaal’s visit to Tehran’s rival Saudi Arabia last month, the Huffington Post’s Arabic edition quoted informed sources as saying Saturday.
According to the sources, a senior official in the Iranian Revolutionary Guards met with Hamas representatives in an undisclosed Arab capital to condemn Mashaal’s visit to Riyadh, saying that the trip was made against Iran’s wishes.
The Iranian official expressed deep anger at the visit, according to the report, and wondered why Mashaal had immediately accepted the Saudi invitation while he had refrained from visiting Tehran for more than four years, despite an open invitation from the Iranian leadership.
Hamas representatives explained that the visit was not intended to be “against Iran,” but rather it came as part of the group’s openness to all nations and Saudi Arabia’s important impact on the Arab and Islamic world, as well as its international influence.
The Iranian official said that the Saudis were attempting to bring Hamas into their orbit in the aftermath of the Iran nuclear deal, as part of its efforts to enlist support against Tehran.