Iran refuses to receive Palestinian President Abbas
Palestinian Authority President Mahmoud Abbas' request to visit Tehran has been rejected, a top aide to an Iranian parliamentary official said Wednesday.
Hossein Sheikh al-Islam, the Advisor for International Affairs to the Iranian Shura Council’s Speaker, said reports of Abbas' imminent trip to Iran to meet with top officials "are false".
"[The Palestinian leadership] has asked to visit Iran on a number of occasions and they didn't receive permission. Their most recent request also was rejected" Islam said, quoted by The Jerusalem Post.
The request had apparently been communicated to Tehran by Ahmed Majdalawi, member of the PLO Executive Committee, during a recent visit to Iran.
Islam said Tehran's relations with Hamas were "strategic" stressing that Iran and Hamas had put their differences aside with regard to the position on the crisis in Syria.
The official added that Tehran "welcomes any visit by Hamas members", pointing out that efforts are underway to schedule a visit in the near future.
The Iranian adviser also stressed that his government "continues to support resistance organisations" but confirmed that the financial support had been reduced, referring to the Palestinian Islamic Jihad.
Islam said this is due to the country's financial crisis and is unrelated to political issues.