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Iran President Raisi Says Action, Not Words, Needed on Gaza

Iranian Foreign Minister Hossein Amir-Abdollahian (left) with the head of Hamas political bureau, Ismail Haniyeh (File photo: AFP)
Iranian Foreign Minister Hossein Amir-Abdollahian (left) with the head of Hamas political bureau, Ismail Haniyeh (File photo: AFP)
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Iran President Raisi Says Action, Not Words, Needed on Gaza

Iranian Foreign Minister Hossein Amir-Abdollahian (left) with the head of Hamas political bureau, Ismail Haniyeh (File photo: AFP)
Iranian Foreign Minister Hossein Amir-Abdollahian (left) with the head of Hamas political bureau, Ismail Haniyeh (File photo: AFP)

Iranian President Ebrahim Raisi said on Saturday that the time had come for action over the conflict in Gaza rather than talk as he headed to Saudi Arabia to attend a summit on the war between Israel and Hamas.

"Gaza is not an arena for words. It should be for action," Raisi said at Tehran airport before departing for the summit of Arab and Islamic nations in the Saudi Arabian capital Riyadh.

"Today, the unity of the Islamic countries is very important," he added, Reuters reported.

Earlier, Iranian Foreign Minister Hossein Amir-Abdollahian said the expansion of the war in the Gaza Strip is "inevitable" in light of the escalation of aggression against civilians.

During a phone call with his Iraqi counterpart, Fouad Hussein, Amir-Abdollahian said the US support for Israel is "the main reason for the escalation of the current crisis in the region."

The two ministers agreed to support the Palestinian people during their discussion of the developments in Palestine and the genocide in Gaza, according to the Arab World News Agency.

On Saturday, according to IRNA, Iran's Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei received the head of the Hamas political bureau, Ismail Haniyeh.

Hamas representative in Lebanon, Othman Hamdan, said Haniyeh traveled to the Iranian capital a few days ago to hold talks.

Iranian media did not report the meeting, and it appears that the visit was kept secret, as the timing of Haniyeh's arrival in Tehran was unclear.

Iran maintains good relations with Hamas. Amir-Abdollahian continuously discussed with Haniyeh the developments of the Israeli aggression on Gaza in the past few weeks.

Meanwhile, thousands of protesters gathered in Palestine Square, in the center of Tehran, Friday to express their support for the Palestinians, according to IRNA news agency.

The protesters carried the Palestinian flags and chanted in solidarity with the Palestinians and Gaza.

Deputy commander of the Iranian Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) Ali Fadavi praised the fighting that Hamas is waging against Israel and told supporters to have faith and be prepared to use all means against the enemy when the time comes.

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India and Bangladesh Leaders Meet for First Time since Revolution

Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi met with Bangladesh's interim leader Muhammad Yunus in Thailand. Bangladesh's Chief Advisor Office of Interim Government/AFP
Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi met with Bangladesh's interim leader Muhammad Yunus in Thailand. Bangladesh's Chief Advisor Office of Interim Government/AFP
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India and Bangladesh Leaders Meet for First Time since Revolution

Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi met with Bangladesh's interim leader Muhammad Yunus in Thailand. Bangladesh's Chief Advisor Office of Interim Government/AFP
Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi met with Bangladesh's interim leader Muhammad Yunus in Thailand. Bangladesh's Chief Advisor Office of Interim Government/AFP

Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi met Friday with the leader of neighboring Bangladesh, the first such meeting since a revolution in Dhaka ousted New Delhi's long-term ally and soured relations.

Nobel Prize winner Muhammad Yunus, 84, took charge of Bangladesh in August 2024 after India's old ally Sheikh Hasina was toppled as prime minister by a student-led uprising and fled by helicopter to India.

India was the biggest benefactor of Hasina's government, and her overthrow sent cross-border relations into a tailspin, culminating in Yunus choosing to make his first state visit last month to China -- India's biggest rival.

Tensions between India and Bangladesh have prompted a number of tit-for-tat barbs between senior figures from both governments.

New Delhi has in the past has repeatedly accused Muslim-majority Bangladesh of failing to adequately protect its minority Hindu citizens -- charges denied by the caretaker administration of Yunus.

On Friday, Yunus posted a picture on social media showing him shaking hands with Modi, and his press secretary Shafiqul Alam later said the "meeting was constructive, productive, and fruitful".

Their meeting took place on the sidelines of a regional summit in Thailand.

Yunus also shared a photograph of the two men smiling as he handed Modi a framed picture of themselves a decade ago -- when the Indian leader in 2015 honored the micro-finance pioneer with a gold medal for this work supporting the poorest of society.

There was no immediate statement from New Delhi.

Yunus, according to his press secretary, also raised with Modi the issue of Dhaka's long-running complaint at what it says are Hasina's incendiary remarks from exile.

Hasina, who remains in India, has defied extradition requests from Bangladesh to face charges including mass murder.

Dhaka has requested that India allow Hasina's extradition to face charges of crimes against humanity for the killing of hundreds of protesters during the unrest that toppled her government.

Yunus also raised concerns of border violence along the porous frontier with India, as well as issues of the shared river waters that flow from India, as the Ganges and the Brahmaputra wind towards the sea.

The caretaker government of Yunus is tasked with implementing democratic reforms ahead of fresh elections slated to take place by June 2026.

Modi and Yunus had dinner on Thursday night -- sitting next to each other alongside other leaders from the BIMSTEC bloc in Bangkok -- but the bilateral sit-down on Friday was the first since relations frayed between the neighboring nations.