Iran rejects claims linking Tehran to Hamas' October 7 attack on Israel

TEHRAN: Iran's permanent mission to the United Nations in New York rejected claims linking Tehran to Hamas' October 7 surprise attack on Israel, the state media reported.

In a statement, the Iranian mission responded to questions from The New York Times and The Wall Street Journal regarding Israel's claim of having access to minutes from Hamas' secret meetings, which allegedly indicated Tehran was informed of the group's plan for the October 7 attack, the IRNA reported.

"While Hamas officials based in (the Qatari capital) Doha have announced that they had no information about the operation and solely Hamas' military wing based in Gaza had been responsible for the planning, deciding about and directing the operation, any claim aiming to partially or entirely link the operation to Iran or Hezbollah is invalid and comes from fabricated documents," said the mission, Xinhua news agency reported, quoting IRNA.

The New York Times reported on Saturday that minutes of Hamas' secret meetings, seized by the Israeli military and obtained by the American newspaper, provided a detailed record of the planning for the October 7 attack, as well as the determination of Yahya Sinwar, Hamas' incumbent political bureau chief, to persuade the Palestinian group's allies, Iran and Hezbollah, to join the operation or at least commit to a broader fight with Israel if Hamas staged a surprise cross-border raid.

On October 7, 2023, Hamas launched an unprecedented attack on southern Israel, killing around 1,200 people and taking approximately 250 hostages. In response, the Israeli military has been conducting a large-scale offensive on Gaza.

Iranian officials have consistently stated that while Iran supports Palestinian resistance groups, including Hamas, it had no prior knowledge of the attack on Israel and was not involved in its execution.