Iran rejects G7 calls to stop supporting Hamas

TEHRAN: Iran on Thursday rejected a G7 statement which called on Tehran to stop supporting Hamas militants and taking actions that “destabilise” the Middle East.

Tehran’s comment came a day after foreign ministers from the G7 group of advanced economies, meeting in Tokyo, expressed support for “humanitarian pauses and corridors” in the Israeli-Hamas war.

Israeli air strikes have pounded the Palestinian territory of Gaza since Hamas gunmen stormed across the heavily militarised border on October 7 to kill more than 1,400 people, and seized around 240 hostages, according to Israeli officials.

The subsequent Israeli bombing campaign in Gaza has killed more than 10,500 people, two-thirds of them women and children, according to the health ministry.

The G7 also called on Iran to “refrain from providing support for Hamas and taking further actions that destabilise the Middle East, including support for Lebanese Hezbollah and other non-state actors.”

On Thursday, Iran’s foreign ministry spokesman Nasser Kanani “strongly condemned” the statement by the group which includes the United States, Britain, Germany, Canada, Italy, France, and Japan.

He said Iran has engaged in “non-stop efforts to stop military attacks of the Zionist aggressor regime (Israel) on the defenceless citizens” in Gaza.

“What was expected from the meeting of the Group of 7 foreign ministers in Tokyo was to fulfill their international responsibility, including condemning the acts of the Zionist regime that violate human rights and international law in Gaza.”

Iran, which supports Hamas, has hailed the militant group’s attack on Israel as a “success” but denied any involvement.

President Ebrahim Raisi has said Iran sees it as “its duty to support the resistance groups” but insisted that they act independently.

Iran does not recognise Israel and support for the Palestinian cause has been centrepiece of its foreign policy since the 1979 Islamic Revolution.