No hostage release as long as Israel-Hamas war persists, Iran says
Iran’s visiting deputy foreign minister told Thai reporters on Thursday that the release of hostages by Hamas is unlikely as long as the war with Israel persists. Ali Bagheri Kani is scheduled to meet with high-ranking Thai officials during his visit this week.
“Since the outbreak of this war [on October 7], we have been in touch with our friends, the resistance,” said Kani, referring to Hamas. “And we continue to interact with them over the hostages. The response we got from the resistance was that as long as this war prevails, there is no possibility of a release of hostages.”
Iran says it is in contact with movements inside the Gaza Strip through high-ranking Hamas officials residing in Qatar and Lebanon.
Twenty-five Thai nationals are reportedly among about 240 hostages that Hamas took into the Gaza Strip on October 7.
Thai officials say they have received assurances from Hamas that all the Thai hostages would be released if mediators succeeded in brokering a truce between the two warring sides.
'Hamas is the people of Palestine'
Kani called Israel an occupier and branded its operation in the Gaza Strip a “genocide”, adding that Tel Aviv must be held accountable.
“Hamas means the people of Palestine. Hamas means the resistance of Palestine. The only weaponry that they have in the face of the Israeli regime is the network of tunnels. Tunnels amount to illicit armament?” asked, the deputy minister, speaking through an interpreter.
Responding to Israel’s accusation that Iran is behind the current conflict, Kani said that Iran has and will continue to support any movement that serves the rights of war victims, including the people of Palestine.
He said his country’s first priority in the Gaza Strip was to achieve a ceasefire, adding that Iran was doing all it could to stop the attack by Israel. It is also in talks with Qatar to find a solution to the conflict, he added.
Two-state solution?
Asked about Iran’s view on the two-state solution, Kani said resolution of the Israel-Palestine conflict “rests in the hands of the very people who are the original owners of the land”.
Iran advocates holding a referendum among Palestinians on rights to the land and how it should be ruled in the future. Meanwhile, Palestinians are entitled to fight “the occupation” within a legitimate framework that serves their interest, Kani added.
It will be Palestinians who decide how to face Israel, and “as we speak, they have chosen resistance”, he said.
Reaffirming nuclear commitments
In 2006, the UN Security Council adopted six resolutions demanding Iran cease the enrichment of uranium needed for nuclear weapons and collaborate with the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA).
Kani said Iran would continue to develop within the framework of the Nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty (NPT) and IAEA statutes. It would also continue to pursue talks to restore the nuclear deal concluded back in 2015, he added.
“We will continue to commit ourselves to our obligations within the international rules and regulations inclusive of the NPT,” said Kani.
