Iran’s Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei meets with the State Depart-ment-designated terrorist group Hamas’ top leader, Ismail Haniyeh, in Tehran, Iran June 21, 2023. Photo: Office of the Iranian Supreme Leader/WANA/ File Photo

Iran’s supreme leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei has met with the leader of Tehran-backed terrorist organization Hamas, Ismail Haniyeh, in Tehran, Iranian state media reported on Sunday, a day after a Hamas official said they held a meeting in recent days.

Iranian state media said Haniyeh, who has resided between Qatar and Turkey since 2019, “briefed Khamenei on the latest developments in the Gaza Strip and the crimes of the Zionist regime in Gaza, as well as the developments in the West Bank”.

The Islamic Republic says it supports Hamas but did not play any role in the militants’ surprise attack on Israel last month.

“Ayatollah Khamenei praised the steadfastness and resilience of the people of Gaza and expressed strong regret over the crimes of the Zionist regime, supported directly by Washington and some Western countries,” Iran’s state TV said.

Without elaborating when the meeting took place, Iran’s Tasnim news agency said the country’s top authority Khamenei “emphasized Tehran’s consistent policy of supporting the Palestinian resistance forces against the Zionist occupiers”.

Iran’s clerical establishment has warned Israel, which it refuses to recognize, of “harsh consequences” if attacks continue on the Gaza Strip.