Iran’s deputy foreign minister meets Hamas representatives in Moscow

MOSCOW: Iran’s deputy foreign minister for political affairs met Hamas representatives in Moscow, Russian state news agency Tass said Friday.

Iran discussed a cease-fire and providing humanitarian support to Gaza at Thursday’s meeting, Tass said.

The meeting is likely to draw condemnation from Israel, whose foreign ministry slammed Russia’s decision to invite Hamas representatives to Moscow as “an act of support of terrorism,” and called for the delegation to be expelled from Russia.

The Kremlin had responded by saying that Moscow believes it is necessary to maintain contacts with all parties.

The visit of the Iranian deputy foreign minister and the Hamas delegation highlights how Russia is trying to assert its role as a power broker in the Middle East conflict even though it continues to be occupied with its war in Ukraine.

It is not clear if representatives from Russia, Iran and Hamas all met together on Thursday. President Vladimir Putin’s spokesman, Dmitry Peskov, said Kremlin did not have any contact with Hamas during the visit.