Iran hails Gaza pullout as Palestinian victory

Persian Journal:

Iran on Thursday welcomed Israel's pullout from the Gaza Strip after nearly four decades of occupation, state radio reported.

Foreign Ministry spokesman Hamid Reza Asefi said the withdrawal was a victory for "legitimate Palestinian resistance".

"The evacuation shows that what was taken by force would not have been retrieved without resistance," state radio quoted Asefi as saying. Since its 1979 Islamic revolution, Iran has refused to recognise Israel and has supported groups including Hamas, which is Islamic fundamentalist.

Iran says it would not oppose a two-state solution to the Middle East conflict if the Palestinian people supported it.