TEHRAN – Iranian officials have reiterated Iran’s support for the Palestinian people and the Gaza Strip, underlining the importance of Palestinian resistance against Israeli atrocities. 

Ali Akbar Velayati, an adviser to Leader of the Islamic Revolution Ayatollah Seyed Ali Khamenei, said Iran will continue to provide Palestine with unwavering support. 

He made the remarks in a meeting with Khaled Qaddoumi, the representative of Hamas to Iran. 

In the meeting, Velayati congratulated the Palestinian resistance forces on their recent victories after the Hamas fighters launched the Al-Aqsa Storm surprise multi-pronged operation outside Gaza.

The Palestinian resistance and perseverance are on the right track and will lead Palestine to the ultimate victory, he opined, according to Tasnim. 

“The Islamic Republic of Iran stands by the oppressed people of Palestine and will keep providing spiritual support (for Palestinians),” the adviser stated.

Highlighting the significance that Ayatollah Khamenei attaches to the issue of Palestine, Velayati said the Israeli regime is doomed to elimination while the Palestinian nation will emerge victorious in the struggle.

“We consider Palestine as the center of the battle against cruelty. Whoever is steadfast in (supporting) Palestine is steadfast in the way of Islam,” he noted.

Since the outbreak of the Israel-Gaza flare-up on October 7, Iran initiated a diplomatic campaign to de-escalate the situation and protect the civilians in the Gaza Strip which is currently under heavy Israeli bombardment. 

To this end, the Iranian foreign minister, Hossein Amir Abdollahian, embarked on a regional tour that included Iraq, Lebanon, Syria, and Qatar. 

Abbas Golrou, a member of the Iranian parliament’s National Security and Foreign Policy Committee, has explained the outcome of Amir Abdollahian’s shuttle diplomacy. 

The lawmaker said Amir Abdollahian’s trip to Beirut was important. “This trip was a timely, necessary, and important trip to support the oppressed Palestinian nation.”

He added, “The Palestinian people welcomed this trip and the residents of Gaza also sent messages of thanks and appreciation and considered this trip as a source of support and encouragement.”

Golrou noted, “Amir Abdollahian's visit to Lebanon and other countries in the region is a clear message to the Zionist regime and showed that the Islamic Republic of Iran stands by the people of Gaza.”

The lawmaker also underlined the need for Islamic countries to stand with the Palestinian people. “The meeting of the Organization of Islamic Cooperation, with its united position, will lead to the support of all Arab and Islamic countries for the people of Gaza,” he asserted. 

Golrou pointed out that the actions of the Zionist regime in Gaza are considered a “war crime” that entails global attention. 

Iranian Interior Minister Ahmad Vahidi also praised the resistance of the Palestinian people in the Gaza Strip. 

“The Palestinian people remained steadfast in the battlefield despite the barbaric attacks of the Zionist regime and are still resisting with pride despite the huge amount of damage,” Vahidi said in remarks to IRNA. 

He added, “The Zionist regime showed its ugly face to the world with genocide and ‘crimes against humanity’.”

Commenting on the U.S. stance on the situation in Palestine, the interior minister said, “America defended the ‘crimes against humanity and genocide’ of the Zionist regime and approved these crimes and gave the Zionist regime a green light to continue these crimes. These behaviors are very telling.” 

He continued, “The silence of the Westerners and closure of their eyes in front of the crimes of the Zionist regime has important consequences and can bring the equations of the region into a new direction. Today, there is a strong and stable resistance in the field, and the Zionist regime will go down the path of decline and collapse as soon as possible after this event.”