Iran’s deputy foreign minister met Hamas representatives in Moscow, Russian state media says

By The Associated Press

Russian state news agency Tass says Iran’s deputy foreign minister met Hamas representatives in Moscow. Thursday’s meeting  is likely to draw condemnation from Israel which criticised Russia’s decision to invite the Hamas representatives and called for them to be expelled from Russia. The Iranian deputy foreign minister and Hamas representative discussed a cease-fire and providing humanitarian support to Gaza, Russian state news agency Tass said. The visit highlights how Russia is trying to assert its role as a power broker in the Middle East conflict even though it is occupied with its war in Ukraine. It is not clear if representatives from Russia, Iran and Hamas all met together on Thursday.