Speaking to the Tasnim News Agency, Sami Abou Zahri said the visit to Tehran by a high-ranking delegation from Hamas was a practical response to Israelis’ anger and its preconditions for peace talks.
Israel recently said it would not hold peace negotiations with a Palestinian government dependent on Hamas and demanded that Hamas recognize Israel, disarm, and sever its ties with Iran, according to media reports.
“Instead of saying ‘we will not sever ties (with Iran)’, we made a practical response to Israel,” the spokesman added.
“Hamas has always attached great significance to its relations with Tehran,” he said, adding that the relationship has a top priority for the movement.
The delegation of senior Hamas officials arrived in Iran's capital on Friday to confer with Iranian officials on mutual ties as well as the latest developments in the occupied Palestinian lands.
The delegation is headed by Deputy Head of Hamas’s Political Bureau Saleh al-Arouri.
In August, a high-level delegation of Hamas headed by political bureau member Ezzat al-Resheq arrived in Iran in response to an official invitation to attend the swearing-in ceremony of Iranian president Hassan Rouhani, who was re-elected in May.