According to Iranian state media, IRNA, on Monday, the new president of Iran, Masoud Pezeshkian, spoke with Hamas leader Ismail Haniyeh who “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.”
The Iranian leader also held a phone call with the Houthis in Yemen, in which he praised their nine months of attacks in “support” of Hamas in Gaza.
The phone call was one of several that Pezeshkian has held since his election. In each case, he acted to showcase Iran’s close ties to anti-Western countries – such as Russia – and also to make it clear that Iran will continue to back terrorist groups – such as Hezbollah and Hamas.
Earlier this year, the International Criminal Court (ICC) sought to indict Haniyeh for his role in the October 7 massacre in Israel. Haniyeh resides in Qatar, an ally of the US, where he and other Hamas leaders live.
According to IRNA, “the Iranian president-elect stressed that his country will never stop backing the Palestinian people in these difficult times.”
Pezeshkian has also “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.”
Reaching out to the proxies
The Houthis have carried out hundreds of attacks on ships in the Red Sea and Indian Ocean and have targeted Israel with drones and missiles. The Houthis claim to be supporting the Palestinians, but their attacks began after October 7. The group is backed by Iran, and Iranian military technology has enabled them to expand their drone and missile programs to achieve greater threats against shipping.
According to the report, Pezeshkian also spoke with Mahdi al-Mashat, the Houthi chairman of Yemen’s Supreme Political Council, praising “Yemen’s months-long military operations targeting Israel-linked ships in the high seas over its war in the besieged territory.” Pezeshkian noted Iran’s long ties with Yemen and said his administration would make efforts to further expand ties with the Houthis.
Meanwhile, Iran’s acting foreign minister Ali Bahgeri Kani was set to head to New York on Monday to take part in a UN Security Council meeting focused on the Palestinians. The meeting is chaired by Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov.
Kani has been working hard to shore up Iran’s close ties with Russia since the death of his predecessor in a helicopter crash. It is not clear if Kani will continue in his role as foreign minister, as he is currently “acting;” he could yet be replaced by Pezeshkian. His performance in New York will be watched closely in Tehran.