Hamas leader Khaled Mashaal to head Hamas delegation to Iran
Hamas denies intention to relocate Hamas int'l HQ to Tehran.
By YASSER OKBIHamas leader Khaled Mashaal 370 (R)(photo credit: Reuters / Stringer)
Increasingly isolated since the loss of a key ally in deposed Egyptian president Mohamed Morsi, Hamas leader Khaled Mashaal traveled was set to head a Hamas delegation to Iran later this week.Hamas spokesman Salah Bardawil denied that the visit was meant to prepare the ground to moving Hamas's international headquarters from Qatar to Tehran.Lebanese newspaper Al-Safir reported that Mashaal was asked by the Hamas leadership in Gaza to transfer the Hamas headquarters from Doha in Qatar to the Iranian capital, following Qatar's support of the Arab League peace initiative for the Middle East.The Hamas delegation will discuss regional issues and the dangers facing Jerusalem and Al Aqsa mosque with their Iranian counterparts, Bardawil said.Mashaal was in Ankara last week to meet with Turkish Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan.Mashaal’s visits to Turkey and Iran come amid rumors that he has worn out his welcome in Qatar, where he currently resides, and is looking for a new place to live.JPost.com staff contributed to this report.
