They have been supporting Hamas for years: Top White House official puts Iran in dock

WASHINGTON: US National Security Council (NSC) coordinator for strategic communications, John Kirby, on Tuesday said Iran has been supporting the terrorist group Hamas for years and the latter would not be able to exist without Tehran's help.

Addressing a press conference on Tuesday, Kirby, while affirming that Hamas wouldn't be what it is without the support from Tehran, said it hasn't been determined yet if the country had anything to do with the October 7 Hamas terror attacks on Israel.

"We know there's complicity here by Iran. They have been supporting Hamas for years--a couple of decades--and Hamas wouldn't be able to function or exist without Iran. But I can't stand here before you and say that we've seen a particular piece of intelligence that shows that they were participating in or directing what happened on October 7," Kirby said. He noted further that "Iran does bad things with bad people in that region". "But again, nobody's doubting, nobody's walking away from the fact that Iran does bad things with bad people in that part of the world," Kirby added.

Earlier this week, Iran warned the US against sending weapons to Israel amid the ongoing war with Hamas, stating that it will further "complicate" the situation, Iran-based IRNA news agency reported, citing the country's top military official.

"The widespread support of the US, including sending weapons and ammunition to the Zionist regime, is considered participation by the American government in the crimes of the Zionist regime. It further complicates the situation in Gaza," CNN reported, quoting the chief of staff of the Iranian Armed Forces, Major General Mohammad Bagheri, as saying.

Meanwhile, during the press conference, Kirby said America's top priority amid the ongoing war with Hamas was to make sure Israel has everything it needs to fight against terrorists. "America's top priority is to make sure that Israel has the tools, capacity and capabilities to go after Hamas terrorists and to make sure that humanitarian assistance flows in, and to make sure we can get innocent civilians who want to leave Gaza, including American citizens, out," he said.

He added that the US is determined to make sure that "they have what they need" and the "humanitarian assistance (in Gaza) keeps flowing". Meanwhile, US President Joe Biden posted from his official handle on social media platform X that both the Israelis and Palestinians deserve to live in "safety, dignity and peace", adding, "No matter how hard it gets, we cannot give up on peace".

"As hard as it is, we cannot give up on peace. We cannot give up on a two-state solution. Israelis and Palestinians equally deserve to live in safety, dignity, and peace," read the post by the 'POTUS'.

As hard as it is, we cannot give up on peace. We cannot give up on a two-state solution.

Israelis and Palestinians equally deserve to live in safety, dignity, and peace.

— President Biden (@POTUS) October 23, 2023

Earlier, on Monday, President Biden held a telephonic conversation with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, with both leaders affirming the need to ensure the continued flow of humanitarian aid and relief materials into Gaza.

"The leaders affirmed that there will now be a continued flow of this critical assistance into Gaza," the White House statement said. Meanwhile, President Biden welcomed the first two convoys of humanitarian assistance since Hamas's October 7 terrorist attack.

In coordinated attacks on October 7, an estimated 2,500 Hamas terrorists crossed over into Israel by land, air and sea and unleashed terror in southern Israel, resulting in the deaths of about 1,400 people, the majority of whom were civilians. Some of these terrorists are believed to have sneaked back into Gaza with at least 222 hostages, according to The Times of Israel.