Iran said Tuesday it had not interfered in negotiations aimed at securing a ceasefire in Gaza, after U.S. President Donald Trump claimed Tehran had issued "orders" to Palestinian terror group Hamas.
Trump, speaking to reporters on Monday during a visit to Scotland, said the Iranians had "interjected themselves in this last negotiation" between Israel and Hamas, which ended last week with no breakthrough.
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Iran's Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei, U.S. President Donald Trump
(Photo: CHARLY TRIBALLEAU and ATTA KENARE / AFP)
"I think they got involved in this negotiation, telling Hamas, giving Hamas signals and orders and that's not good," Trump said without elaborating. Iran, a close ally and backer of Hamas, dismissed Trump's remarks as "absolutely baseless".
Foreign ministry spokesman Esmaeil Baqaei called the claim "a form of projection and evasion of responsibility and accountability" on the US president's part. According to Baqaei, Hamas negotiators "do not need the intervention of third parties" as the group "recognises and pursues the interests of the oppressed people of Gaza in the most appropriate manner".
The latest round of indirect negotiations, mediated by the United States, Egypt and Qatar, was held earlier this month in Doha but failed to secure a truce deal. Israel and Hamas have accused each other of failing to compromise on key issues to end the nearly 22-month war.
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Last month, Israel launched a surprise offensive on its staunch rival Iran, targeting key nuclear and military sites but also hitting residential areas. The United States briefly joined the conflict, striking Iranian nuclear facilities, while Tehran fought back with missile and drone attacks.
Trump said on Monday that since its 12-day war with Israel ended, Iran has been sending "very bad signals", without specifying in what regard. He was possibly referring to nuclear negotiations with Washington that had been derailed by the conflict, or to Iran's support for militant groups in the region which the United States and its allies see as a threat.
Baqaei in turn urged the United States to "stop sending deadly weapons to the occupying regime", meaning Washington's close ally Israel, and force it to "stop the genocide, allow humanitarian aid to enter" the Gaza Strip.