The newly elected president of Iran Masoud Pezeshkian, spoke with Hamas leader Ismail Haniyeh on Monday, Iranian state media reported. Haniyeh “expressed gratitude towards the Islamic Republic of Iran over its support for the Palestinian cause and called for stepped-up diplomatic efforts to end the Israeli regime’s aggression against Gaza,” Iran’s IRNA said.
The Iranian leader also held a phone call with the Houthis in Yemen, where he praised their nine months of attacks in “support” of Hamas in Gaza.
The phone call was one of several that Pezeshkian has had since becoming leader of Iran. In each case, the new Iranian leader has acted to showcase Iran’s close ties to anti-western countries such as Russia and also to make it clear Iran will continue to back terrorist groups such as Hezbollah and Hamas.
Hamas’ leader spoke to the Iranian leader and praised Iran for backing Hamas. “We appreciate Iran for playing a role in supporting the Palestinian cause, and we demand more political and diplomatic efforts to bring an end to Israel’s aggression,” Haniyeh said.
Earlier this year, the International Criminal Court sought indictment for Haniyeh for crimes against humanity for his role on October 7. Haniyeh resides in Qatar, a US ally, where he leads Hamas along with other Hamas leaders who live in Doha.
According to the IRNA report, “the Iranian president-elect stressed that his country will never stop backing the Palestinian people at these difficult times.”
Reaching out to the proxies
The Iranian president also reached out to the Iranian-backed Houthis in Yemen. “Iranian president-elect Masoud Pezeshkian has hailed Yemeni leaders and people for their courageous decision to support the Palestinian nation at a time when some governments have refused to take any action to back the Palestinians in the face of Israeli aggression,” IRNA reported.
The Houthis have carried out hundreds of attacks on ships in the Red Sea and Indian Ocean, as well as targeting Israel with drones and missiles. The Houthis claim to be supporting the Palestinians, but their attacks began after the Hamas massacre of October 7. The Houthis are backed by Iran, and Iranian military technology has enabled them to expand their drone and missile programs to achieve greater threats against shipping.
The Iranian Pezeshkian spoke with the Houthi Chairman of Yemen’s Supreme Political Council, Mahdi al-Mashat. The new Iranian leader praised the Houthis for their attacks, and the Iranian state media noted that this was “about Yemen’s months-long military operations targeting Israel-linked ships in the high seas over its war in the besieged territory.” The Iranian leader noted Iran’s long ties with Yemen and said his administration will make efforts to expand ties with the Houthis further.
Meanwhile, Iran’s acting foreign minister, Ali Bahgeri Kani, is heading to New York on Monday. He is supposed to take part in a UN Security Council meeting that is focused on the Palestinians. The meeting is “chaired by Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov as the rotating chairman of the UN Security Council,” Iranian state media reported.
Kani has been working hard to shore up Iran’s close ties with Russia and other countries since the death of his predecessor in a helicopter crash. It is not clear if Kani will continue in his role as foreign minister. He is currently the “acting” foreign minister. The new president could replace him. His performance in New York will be watched closely in Tehran.
