Iran's Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei met with acting Hamas leader Khalil al-Haya and two other leaders of the Palestinian group in Tehran on Saturday, Iranian state television reported, quoted by Reuters.
“You defeated the Zionist regime in Israel, which was actually America's defeat. You did not allow them to achieve any of their goals,“ Khamenei, whose country supports Hamas in its war with Israel, told the Palestinian delegation.
Iranian television reported that Palestinian leaders were in Tehran to congratulate Khamenei on the anniversary of the 1979 Iranian Revolution. They expressed gratitude for Iran's continued support.
The delegation, which also included Mohammad Darwish, head of the Hamas leadership council, and senior Hamas official Nizar Awadallah, presented Khamenei with a report on the current situation in Gaza and the West Bank and the "victories and successes that have been achieved".
"We come to meet you today with pride," the television quoted al-Hayya as telling Khamenei.
Khamenei said that US threats against Iran "have no effect on the thinking of our nation," Iranian media reported.