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Iraq's government says it has not received a request from Hamas to move its political leadership to Iraq from Qatar, two days after the US warned governments not to offer shelter to the Palestinian group.
An adviser to the Iraqi Prime Minister Mohammed Shia Al Sudani told The National that there is no Hamas office in Baghdad, and that the government had not received a request for one to be opened.
“We categorically deny the reports of opening or the presence of an office for [the] Hamas movement,” Fadi Al Shammari said in a brief statement sent by his office.
Sources told The National this week that Hamas was looking to move its leaders to Iraq as Washington and Doha increase pressure to secure a ceasefire in the Gaza war, with negotiations deadlocked.
The sources said that Hamas had already opened a representative office in Baghdad, and that the Iraqi government had approved a request to host its leadership. Iranian-linked militias and political parties in Iraq had also publicly congratulated Hamas for opening an office in the country and released images of a visit from a representative of the group.
Hamas discussed its plans to leave Qatar with Tehran in March, when the group's political leader Ismail Haniyeh met Iran's supreme leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, sources told The National on Tuesday.
Hamas's leaders in Qatar, where they have lived since 2012, considered an offer to relocate to Turkey, before deciding on Iraq, the sources said.
“Iraq was preferred over Turkey for two reasons – it's an Arab country and it enjoys close relations with Iran,” one of the sources said.
On Monday, they said Baghdad had welcomed the idea of Hamas maintaining a high-profile presence in Iraq. But the group had not said when the move would happen.
Hamas security and logistics teams had travelled to Baghdad to oversee preparations for the move, the sources said, adding that the group planned to retain some form of representation in Doha to oversee relations with Qatar.
US warnings
The Iraqi government's denial of the move came two days after the US warned governments in the region against dealing with Hamas.
US State Department spokesman Matthew Miller said on Monday: “We have made clear to every government in the region that there should be no more business as usual with Hamas after the horrific attacks of October 7.
“And that applies to everyone,” he added, responding to a question during a briefing about Hamas's plans to move to Iraq.
At Tuesday’s briefing, Mr Miller repeated the same warning, adding: “We would hope no country would provide a safe haven for Hamas.”
Asked whether the American administration received any signs or indications from the Iraqi government in this regard, he replied: “I’m just not going to speak to private diplomatic conversations.”
Mixed messages
Mr Al Shammari’s comments contradict those made by Iran-backed political factions and militias in Iraq, suggesting differences with the government.
Since early June, Hamas representative Mohammed Al Hafy has attended several events organised by Iran-linked political factions and has held meetings with some politicians in Iraq, according to several statements from the Iran-backed groups.
On June 4, Jawad Raheem Al Saiedi, the Secretary General of the Iran-linked party The Movement of Building and Jihad, met Mr Al Hafy and congratulated him “on the occasion of opening Hamas movement office in Baghdad”, the party said in a statement.
Four days later, Mr Al Hafy attended a symposium on the 35th anniversary of the death of Iran's Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ruhollah Khomeini, organised by The Movement of Building and Jihad, another statement from the party said.
Along with Mr Al Hafy, the event was attended by the Iranian ambassador, representatives of the Russian and Chinese embassies, Iraqi lawmakers and members of the Iran-linked Popular Mobilisation Forces militia, the statement added.
On June 11, a delegation from Harakat Al Iraq Al Islamiyah, or The Movement of the Islamic Iraq party, led by its Deputy Secretary General Yacoub Al Zaidi, announced in a statement that it “attended the opening [ceremony] of the political wing of Hamas movement in Iraq”.
It said the ceremony was in Baghdad but gave no further details.
The group added that they had met with Mr Al Hafy and discussed the situation in Gaza. The powerful Iran-backed Kataib Al Imam Ali militia, the Imam Ali Brigades, is the armed wing of The Movement of the Islamic Iraq.
