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Washington, 17 August (WashingtonTV)—The leader of the Palestinian militant group Hamas said that he did not believe the recent political turmoil in Iran would affect Tehran’s support for the group, in remarks published on Sunday.

In an interview with the Qatari newspaper, al-Watan, Khaled Meshaal also accused Western powers of fueling the post-election unrest in Iran, echoing charges made by the Iranian government.

“No doubt what is happening to Iran concerns and worries us, but we consider it to be an internal affair,” he told the daily, according to the Associated Press.

Meshaal said that Hamas, which took over the Gaza Strip in 2007, was “definitely not worried about the relationship with Iran or the support that Iran offers us.”

Meshaal traveled to Tehran in February to thank the Islamic Republic for its backing during Israel’s 22-day offensive in Gaza, which ended on 18 January.

Iran is a vocal supporter of Hamas and the Lebanese militant group, Hezbollah, but denies supplying those groups with arms.

Source: Associated Press

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