A top aide to an Iranian parliamentary official said on Wednesday that Palestinian Authority President Mahmoud Abbas' request to visit Tehran has been rejected. According to Hossein Sheikh al-Islam, the reports of Abbas' imminent trip to Iran to meet with top officials there are false. Al-Islam serves as the assistant to the head of the parliament for international affairs in Tehran. '[The Palestinian leadership] has asked to visit Iran on a number of occasions, and they didn't receive permission,' he said. 'Their most recent request also was rejected.' Al-Islam said that the Iranian government is adhering to its longstanding policy of supporting Palestinian 'resistance' organizations, including Hamas.
(photo credit: The Jerusalem Post)