TEHRAN -- President Masoud Pezeshkian on Wednesday pledged Iran’s full support for any decision adopted by Palestinian leaders in ongoing negotiations over Gaza’s future, as Hamas’s new political chief said the movement will not allow Israel to achieve through diplomacy what it failed to win on the battlefield.
In a telephone call with Khalil al-Hayya, who was elected head of Hamas’s political bureau last month, Pezeshkian said the Islamic Republic will back “any measure, initiative or decision that the Palestinian leadership adopts during the course of the negotiations,” according to a statement from his office.
The president congratulated al-Hayya on his appointment and described Palestine as the Muslim world’s “top priority” and a fixed principle of Iranian foreign policy. 
He called for unity among Islamic nations to defend the interests of the Muslim world and emphasized that Iran will continue supporting the Palestinian people “to the fullest extent possible”.
Pezeshkian also commemorated the assassination of former Hamas political chief Ismail Haniyeh in Tehran in July 2024, describing the killing as a “cowardly crime” by Israel. Haniyeh was martyred while attending Pezeshkian’s inauguration ceremony.
Al-Hayya, for his part, described Israel as the main cause of instability and insecurity in West Asia and praised Iran’s continued support for the Palestinian people.
He said Hamas is pursuing political negotiations with the participation and coordination of other Palestinian groups and stressed that just as the movement stood firm on the battlefield, it will not allow Israel to achieve through diplomacy what it has failed to achieve through war.
The Hamas leader also called for leveraging Iran’s experience in the negotiating process to serve Palestinian interests, expressing hope that diplomatic efforts alongside field resistance will lead to the realization of Palestinian goals.
The call comes as U.S. President Donald Trump announced last week what he described as a “historic agreement” for the “complete disarmament” of Hamas and other armed groups in Gaza. 
Hamas has conditioned weapons arrangements on Israeli withdrawal from the enclave and progress on reconstruction. Israel’s prime minister Benjamin Netanyahu said his 
terrorist regime have not agreed to anything and was still examining the proposal.
Al-Hayya, 65, was elected head of Hamas’s political bureau on July 20 with 35 votes, narrowly defeating former chief Khaled Meshaal. 
He had served as the movement’s chief negotiator in ceasefire and prisoner-exchange talks mediated by Qatar and Egypt and survived multiple Israeli assassination attempts, losing several family members in Israeli strikes over the years. His predecessor Yahya Sinwar was martyred by Israeli forces in Gaza in October 2024.