Hamas’ leader in the Gaza Strip Yahya Sinwar announced that the Islamic Republic of Iran has restored relations with Hamas, providing it with both financial and military aid to bolster the Palestinian capabilities ahead of a new round of fighting between the Islamist organizations in Gaza and Israel. Iran was once the top backer of Hamas due to the Palestinian group’s declared aspiration to seek Israel’s destruction. However, after Hamas refused in 2012 to support Iran’s ally, Syrian President Bashar Assad in the Syrian civil war, Tehran decided to severe relations with the Palestinian group. Since Iran reached a nuclear-agreement with world powers in 2015 that provided Tehran with much needed sanctions relief, in exchange for limiting its nuclear program, the Islamic Republic has sought to once again bolster its relations with Hamas that is currently in dire financial distress. In response to the mending of ties, that are clearly due to their mutual aspiration of destroying Israel, US Ambassador to the United Nations Nikki Haley declared that the Islamic Republic Iran had revealed its true colors when it restored its relations with the Islamist Hamas organization. Haley stressed that “It is long past the time for the international community to hold Iran to the same standard that all countries who actually value peace and security are held to. Nikki Haley said in her statement that Tehran must decide whether it wants to be a member of the community of nations that can be expected to take its international obligations seriously or whether it wants to be the leader of jihadist terrorist movements.
