Iran should not get involved in the war in the Gaza Strip, a politician close to Ayatollah Ali Khamenei in Tehran said, Etemad newspaper quoted him as saying on Saturday.

“Those in Iran who want to go to war in Gaza should know that this is exactly what the Zionist regime wants,” Gholam-Hussein Hadad-Adel said, using the term Iran calls Israel, according to the DPA news agency. and Agerpress.

Iran’s involvement in the conflict would lead to war with the US, Hadad-Adel said. In such a war, Israel would be “safe,” he said.

Hadad-Adel is part of an ultra-conservative group in Iran and sits on a council that resolves disputes in Iranian politics and advises Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei.

Many believe his words echo those of Khamenei, who has the final say on strategic matters under Iran’s constitution.

Tehran has repeatedly expressed its support for Hamas since the Oct. 7 attack on Israel, but has denied direct involvement in its planning or execution.

On the other hand, there were calls from both the demonstrations and the military for Iran to more actively support Hamas in line with its harsh anti-Israel policies since the 1979 revolution.

Observers believe that Tehran is unlikely to intervene in the current conflict between Israel and Hamas, as the country is in an economic crisis and cannot afford a military confrontation with Israel or the US, DPA notes.

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