High Ranking Hamas Delegation in Iran for Crucial Talks

The delegation is led by Saleh al-Arouri, Deputy Head of Hamas’s Political Bureau, and scheduled to meet with senior Iranian officials during their stay in the Islamic Republic.

According to sources in Gaza, talks are expected to tackle Hamas-Iran relations and recent developments in the Palestinian political arena, especially a landmark reconciliation agreement -- signed earlier this month in Cairo -- between Hamas and rival Palestinian faction Fatah.

Hamas's visit to Tehran follows improvement of relations between the Movement and Iran after several years of cold relations as a result of the Syrian crisis. It is part of a series of contacts with Arab and Muslim countries in light of the current developments on the reconciliation issue.

Early 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 elected in May.

Following the visit to Tehran by al-Resheq, Hamas issued a statement saying it had reached an agreement with Iran to open a new chapter in mutual relations in order to confront the usurper Israeli regime and support Palestine, the al-Aqsa Mosque and the resistance movement.