Spokesperson says reports of invitation "inaccurate," no current plans to visit Tehran.
By KHALED ABU TOAMEHHamas leader Khaled Mashaal 370(photo credit: Screenshot CNN)
Hamas denied on Tuesday that its leader, Khaled Mashaal, had received an invitation to visit the Islamic Republic.Hamas spokesman Husam Badran said that reports about the Iranian invitation to Mashaal were “inaccurate.”Badran said that he was unaware of any plans by Mashaal to visit Tehran but that Hamas has good relations with all Arab and Islamic countries.Relations between Iran and Hamas have deteriorated since the beginning of the conflict in Syria three years ago.The Iranians suspended their ties with Hamas after the Islamist movement refused to support the regime of President Bashar Assad.Since then, the Syrian authorities have also cut off their ties with Hamas and closed its offices in Damascus.In recent months, however, Hamas officials have talked about rapprochement with Iran, with some claiming that Tehran has resumed financial aid to the movement.In a separate development, Mashaal on Tuesday phoned Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan to congratulate him on the victory of his party in Turkey’s municipal elections.Hamas Prime Minister Ismail Haniyeh also phoned Erdogan to congratulate him on the outcome of the elections.
