Hamas Not A Terrorist Group, Iranian Diplomat Asserts


TEHRAN (Tasnim) – An Iranian deputy foreign minister reacted to an Egyptian court decision to list the Palestinian resistance movement, Hamas, as a terrorist organization, saying that the terrorist regime is the Zionist regime of Israel.

“Hamas is not a terrorist organization,” Iran’s Deputy Foreign Minister for Arab and African Affairs Hossein Amir Abdollahian said on Saturday, after the Cairo Court of Urgent Matters listed the Palestinian group as a terrorist organization.

“The Tel Aviv regime is an illegitimate and terrorist regime, which is incapable in its confrontation against the Resistance (movements), including Hamas and the Islamic Jihad,” the Iranian diplomat  told the Islamic republic news agency.

He also noted that Iran condemns terrorism in all shapes anywhere in the world, including in Egypt, Iraq, Syria, Yemen, Africa and Europe.

After the Egyptian court’s announcement on Saturday, the Palestinian resistance group released a statement, describing the court’s decision as "shocking and dangerous."

Elsewhere in his comments, Amir Abdollahian described the political group, the Muslim Brotherhood, as “part of the reality” in Egypt, and called for a “realistic view” to make a distinction between the political opposition and the terrorist groups.

“Any party that resorts to terrorist acts will be hated by the whole world,” he explained.

Cairo has also labeled the Muslim Brotherhood as a “terrorist group.”