DUBAI, March 27. /TASS/. Israel is at the heart of all the problems in the Middle East, Iranian President Ebrahim Raisi said during talks in Tehran with Ismail Haniyeh, chairman of the radical Palestinian movement Hamas’ political bureau.
"Nowadays, the rightness of Palestine and the stances of its supporters, including the Islamic Republic of Iran, regarding the fact that the deceitful and criminal Zionist regime (Israel is implied here - TASS) is the root of all the regional problems have been proved to the peoples all over the world," Raisi said in a statement published on the Iranian government’s site.
Raisi pointed out that owing to the Palestinian resistance forces and the Gazans’ resilience, "the Palestinian issue has gone far beyond the boundaries of the Islamic world and has emerged as a problem for humanity."
The Iranian president also lambasted some Muslim countries’ inaction in regard to Israel’s aggression in the Gaza Strip.
Raisi believes that the whole world "is utterly disgusted" with Israel and "its main ally, the United States."
According to the Iranian president, what is going on in the Gaza Strip "has become a total disgrace" for the US and some other Western countries and "revealed their true colors."
On March 26, the head of the Hamas political bureau arrived in Tehran, where he held talks with Iranian Foreign Minister Hossein Amir-Abdollahian. In addition, Haniyeh had a meeting with Iranian Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, who emphasized that Tehran would not hesitate to press ahead with its support for the Palestinians.
This is Haniyeh’s second visit to Iran since tensions flared up in the Middle East after Hamas militants from the Gaza Strip attacked Israeli territory on October 7, when many Israelis living in the settlements near the Gaza border were killed or taken hostage. In response, Israel launched bombardments of the Palestinian enclave and some areas in Lebanon and Syria. On December 1, the Israel Defense Forces (IDF) blamed Hamas for violating the ceasefire, which had been in effect since November 24, and resumed its military operation in the Gaza Strip.
On March 25, the United Nations Security Council adopted a resolution urging for an immediate ceasefire in the Gaza Strip during the Muslim holy month of Ramadan, which started on March 10.