Hamas and Hezbollah cautiously welcome US-Iran talks

Iran has shifted its tone towards Washington in recent days and said doors are open for US investors

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Militant groups Hamas and Hezbollah have welcomed the keenly awaited US–Iran talks set to be held in Oman on Saturday, stating that their main regional backer, Tehran, won’t “sell out” its allies.

The two armed factions were at the forefront of Iran’s regional battle for dominance before suffering heavy blows in the continuing wars with Israel.

“Iran has a long and distinguished history in negotiations and is capable of manoeuvring on multiple fronts,” said a Hamas official who spoke on the condition of anonymity. “It may bend in the face of the storm, but it does not break,” added the official.

“Iran is a sovereign state and has the final say in determining its diplomatic moves and interests in the region and globally,” said a source close to Lebanon’s Hezbollah. “The negotiations in Oman are an opportunity for the Iranian leadership to reaffirm to its people that the diplomatic option remains on the table.”

US Secretary of State Marco Rubio said on Thursday that the talks would involve a "top-level leader in Iran" meeting Donald Trump's envoy Steve Witkoff. "We hope that will lead to peace," Mr Rubio said.

State Department spokeswoman Tammy Bruce added in a later briefing that the US was looking at the meeting "as a good first step to find out if the Iranians are serious".

Ali Shamkhani, an adviser to Iran's supreme leader, warned that Iran could move its enriched uranium to "secure locations" to deter any military strike. He said Iran would also consider expelling nuclear inspectors if "external threats" continue. Ms Bruce said this would be an "escalation and a miscalculation on Iran's part".

Secretary of State Marco Rubio, left, said the US expected talks with a 'top-level leader' in Iran. Reuters

The Hamas statement came after Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian said that US investors are welcome to invest in the country, marking another shift in Tehran’s approach towards Washington, long considered its greatest adversary. Hours earlier, Deputy Special Envoy to the Middle East Morgan Ortagus told The National in an interview that the US aims to establish common ground and mutual understanding with Iran during the meetings in Oman.

Iran has long described the US as its biggest enemy and has commonly referred to it as the "Great Satan". But the oil-rich country, which is under heavy economic sanctions, has recently shifted its tone towards the administration of President Donald Trump after severe setbacks to its main proxy militant groups in the region.

Inside Iran, analysts and academics are debating whether Tehran should fundamentally rethink its regional strategy, with the leadership weighing a shift that could lead to the scaling back of support for armed militant groups in response to regional fatigue and rising costs.

“Iran can never sell out its allies, despite talk that it might abandon Hezbollah, Ansar Allah (Yemen's Houthis), or Hamas,” stressed the Hamas official. “We have absolute confidence that Iran will not sell out its allies."

The source close to Hezbollah praised “the strength of Tehran’s position”, claiming that “it does not enter negotiations under duress, but based on principles and standards it has set".

"Iran’s position has always been to call for talks – just like with the nuclear issue, where it has consistently emphasised its peaceful nature. Therefore, Iran does not fear negotiations, nor defending its position,” added the source.

While Iran denies seeking to develop a nuclear weapon, it is “dramatically” accelerating the enrichment of uranium to 60 per cent purity – a short step from the 90 per cent required to create nuclear weapons. However, following threats from Mr Trump, senior political adviser Ali Larijani warned that Iran would acquire such a weapon if attacked. On Wednesday, Mr Pezeshkian sought to ease tensions by offering guarantees.

A turning point for Iran may have come when an Israeli pager bomb attack in Lebanon last year struck Hezbollah at its core, killing dozens of members. Shortly after, Hezbollah’s leader Hassan Nasrallah was killed in an Israeli strike, along with other central figures. This sequence of events triggered a domino effect, leading to the eventual collapse of the regime of Bashar Al Assad in Syria.

Former US Secretary of State John Kerry during a meeting with the Iranian Foreign Minister Mohammad Javad Zarif at the UN. AP

Israeli and US intelligence successes have disrupted Tehran’s network, while the collapse of the Syrian regime was a devastating blow to Iran's ambitions. Even Iran’s own territory has not been immune: Hamas leader Ismail Haniyeh was assassinated in Tehran, and Israel has struck Iranian military positions inside the country.

The Hamas official acknowledged that Iran’s support has scaled down. “There may currently be a decline in funding and weapons transfers, but Iran’s support for the resistance remains in place,” explained the official. “The current situation does not allow for the transfer of weapons as it once did, but Iran remains a key backer of resistance movements,” he added.

The previous Trump administration had not negotiated with Iran, and Saturday’s talks – whether direct or indirect – will mark the first public rapprochement between the two sides. The US State Department has confirmed that Mr

off, the US Special Envoy to the Middle East, will participate.

Iran’s Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi, who will lead from the Iranian side, said this week that his country is “ready to engage in earnest” to seal a deal, in an opinion piece published in The Washington Post. Meanwhile, in her interview with The National, Ms Ortagus said the administration knows “how to get a deal” and that it isn’t “focused a lot on the process” to achieve that.

Kassem Kassir, a political analyst with insights into Hezbollah, stated that “Iran is seeking to reach a new nuclear deal under new conditions, and it is in the interest of both Iran and the US to avoid going to war. However, I expect the outcome in advance: the US wants to impose its vision and approach, claiming it brought Iran to the negotiating table – but Iran does not trust America."

Political experts predicted the early stages of the talks would steer clear of regional issues and Iran’s influence across the Middle East.

On Thursday, Quds Force commander Esmail Qaani sought to reaffirm Tehran’s support for the armed groups it backs in the region, including the Houthis in Yemen, but stopped short of saying whether this support would continue in the same form – particularly regarding finance, arms and training.

“Today, after a year and a half of widespread war, the resistance front stands firm, having resisted with the fewest resources against the enemy’s advanced equipment,” said Mr Qaani, as quoted by state media. “The nature of resistance is such that whoever fights it only strengthens it.”