Iranian minister admits aid for Hamas – this is how an expert assesses his statements Deaths and injuries after storms in Ukraine++ Russians want to reoccupy Kupjansk

It has been supporting Hamas financially and militarily for years: the Islamic regime in Iran is a close ally of the terrorist organization. Moreover, since its founding, it has used anti-Semitic rhetoric to invoke Israel’s downfall. Shortly after the October 7 attack on Israel, the country was considered a possible mastermind of the Hamas attack.

But there is no evidence of direct involvement of the Islamic regime. And the power elite in Tehran, no matter how great the joy after the massacre in Israel, always denied any direct connection with it. A minister of the regime is now making clear statements about cooperation with Hamas so far.

He reports on state television how he strengthened the terror group with missiles and military training during his tenure as an officer in the Revolutionary Guards until 2004 – and also expresses the regime’s support for the terrorists in the current war in the Middle East.

“We admit this without any shame”

Iranian Culture Minister Ezzatollah Zarghami said a few days ago: “We helped them, we helped Hezbollah, we helped Hamas, we helped everyone who is oppressed, and we admit it without any shame.” And: “We are not afraid of anyone.” The interview was conducted and broadcast by the state news agency Mehr News. Until 2004, Zarghami was a general in the Islamic Revolutionary Guards Corps and, according to his own statements, responsible for supplying missiles to terrorist groups linked to the Iranian regime, as well as for their training.

According to Zarghami, the missiles delivered were medium-range ballistic missiles of the Fajr-3 type. With an estimated range of up to 45 kilometers, the terrorist organization Hamas is able to strike larger Israeli cities near the Gaza Strip. Since October 7, these and other projectiles have been regularly fired into Israel by Hamas terrorists.

Regarding the Hamas terrorists in the Gaza Strip, Zarghami said: “We know their tunnels.” As then responsible for training the Lebanese terrorist organization Hezbollah and the Palestinian Hamas, he found himself in the same tunnels in which Hamas was now fighting. “I provided very successful training for Hamas there and informed them about the weapons and their use,” Zarghami said.

Little is known about the tunnels during Zarghami’s service. The military branch of the terrorist organization began building them in the 1980s, mainly to smuggle goods, and later also used the tunnels for military purposes, such as carrying out terrorist attacks on Israel. When Hamas came to power in 2007, the tunnel system was expanded.

Expert sees a campaign by the regime

Zarghami’s statements are quite remarkable: while the regime has consistently expressed solidarity with Hamas in recent weeks, it has denied possible military responsibility for October 7. However, Iran expert Ali Fathollah-Nejad views Zarghami’s current statements as a strategy of the regime.

The minister’s statements can be seen as part of a state campaign, Fathollah-Nejad said. The political leadership is trying to maintain its reputation among supporters and regional allies. In his military statements, Zarghami refers to his time in office during the Iran-Iraq war from 1980 to 1988. “Tehran’s central role for Hamas’s military strength must be underlined,” said the Middle East political scientist and director of the Center for Hamas. Middle East and Global Order (CMEG), to t-online.

In reality, however, the Islamic Republic is careful not to intervene directly in the current war or play a direct role for reasons of regime security. “For the same reason, support from the Tehran-led ‘Axis of Resistance’ is falling short of Hamas’s expectations,” Fathollah-Nejad said.

The Islamic regime’s so-called ‘Axis of Resistance’ is aimed against Israel and the West. From the start of his rule in 1979, the spiritual and political leader of the Islamic Republic declared Israel the country’s arch enemy. In the 1990s, Ayatollah Ali Khamenei expanded his political and military ties in the region. The terrorist organization Hamas currently funds Iran with an estimated 70 million US dollars (about 70 million Swiss francs) per year.

Sources: