Iran unsuccessfully tried to convince Hamas not to accept disarmament offer — US official

Iran tried to convince Hamas not to accept the Board of Peace’s disarmament proposal, but ultimately failed in that effort, a senior US official tells reporters during a briefing call.

“Iran would have liked Hamas not to do the deal but… Iran abandoned Hamas a while ago. They can’t afford to to keep them going, and I think the Hamas guys realize that they have to do what’s best for for themselves and and for the people,” the US official says, adding that the disarmament proposal’s offer of amnesty to Hamas members who agree to give up their weapons and adhere to Trump’s 20-point plan was a key selling point for the terror group.

“Iran did try to convince them not to do this deal, but ultimately we were able to overcome that,” the US official adds, confirming a report from the Axios news site, which said that officials from Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps had urged a Hamas delegation attending the funeral of former supreme leader Ali Khamenei not to rush into accepting the Board of Peace proposal.