Hamas does not mind strengthening its ties with Shiite Iran, despite its full support for the regime of Syrian President Bashar Assad who is slaughtering his country’s Sunni Muslim population, its spokesperson said Monday.

Speaking with the Iranian based Al-Alam network, Hamas spokesman Fawzi Barhoum explained that his organization’s relations with Iran are based on mutual interests and on the struggle against Israel. The position of countries such as Iran on the Palestinian issue is, according to Barhoum, “a safety net for Jerusalem and for the fight (against Israel).”