Former Iranian Diplomat: Iran Gives Hamas Weapons But Is Not Responsible For Its Actions

Former Iranian cultural attache to Lebanon Mohammad Mehdi Shariatmadar said in a March 26, 2024 interview with Sky News Arabia (UAE) that all of the weapons used by Hamas and the "resistance movements" throughout the region are either provided directly by Iran or produced locally based on Iranian expertise and training. He qualified that even though Iran arms Hamas and these resistance groups, this does not mean that it bears any responsibility for the operations of these groups. When the host suggested that Shariatmadar is applying a double standard since he has asserted that America is complicit in Israel's crimes because it provides Israel with weapons, Shariatmadar answered that Israel is an unjust, plundering, occupying, and criminal entity, while Hamas is a resistance group fighting on behalf of the Palestinian nation, which he said has the right to self-determination. He added: "There is a great difference between the two cases."