By Al-Fassel and AFP | 2023-11-10

Iran on Thursday (November 9) rejected a G7 statement that called on Tehran to stop supporting the Hamas terrorist group and taking actions that "destabilize" the Middle East.

Tehran's comment came a day after foreign ministers from the G7 group of advanced economies -- the United States, Britain, Germany, Canada, Italy, France and Japan -- met in Tokyo.

Hamas terrorists stormed into Israel on October 7 from Gaza, killing more than 1,400 people, most of them civilians, and seizing more than 200 hostages, sparking a war with Israel that has been raging ever since.

The G7 also called on Iran to "refrain from providing support for Hamas and taking further actions that destabilize the Middle East, including support for Lebanese Hizbullah and other non-state actors."

Iran, which supports Hamas financially and militarily, has hailed the terrorist group's attack on Israel as a "success" but denied any involvement.

Iranian President Ebrahim Raisi has said Iran sees it as "its duty to support the resistance groups" but insisted that they act independently.

Hizbullah chief Hassan Nasrallah also has sought to distance his party from the Hamas terrorist attack, claiming in a November 3 speech that the October 7 massacre was "100% Palestinian," and was shrouded in secrecy "out of necessity."

Iran does not recognize Israel and has made support for the Palestinian cause a centerpiece of its foreign policy since the 1979 Islamic Revolution.

On Thursday, Iranian foreign ministry spokesman Nasser Kanani "strongly condemned" the G7 statement.

'Hold Hamas accountable'

Meanwhile, the United States on Wednesday welcomed Germany's decision to ban activities supporting Hamas, which builds on the European Union's designation to fully restrict and criminalize support of the terrorist group.

Germany on November 2 issued a ban on Hamas activities and organizations linked to the terrorist group.

"With Hamas, I have today completely banned the activities of a terrorist organisation that aims to destroy the state of Israel," Interior Minister Nancy Faeser said in a statement.

The minister also issued a prohibition for Samidoun, an international network that had "supported and glorified various foreign terrorist organisations, among them Hamas," she said.

"As the world witnessed on October 7, Hamas is a dangerous terrorist organization, which engages in barbaric actions and has compounded and perpetuated the suffering of the Palestinian people at every step of this crisis," US State Department spokesman Matthew Miller said Wednesday.

"We urge other governments around the world to take action under their own authorities to hold Hamas accountable as it seeks to sustain its terrorist activities," he said.

"We will continue to work with allies and partners around the world to counter Hamas and other deadly terrorist organizations," he added.

"Palestinians are not to blame and should not continue to suffer for Hamas' horrific terrorist attacks. Hamas does not represent the aspirations of the Palestinian people, who deserve to live in safety, dignity, and peace."