Ghanoon, an Iranian newspaper with ties to Iran's Reformists, attacked Hamas Jan. 21, publishing a photo of the movement's political chief Ismail Haniyeh holding the flag of the Syrian revolution. The newspaper presented Hamas' project and positions as no longer compatible with Iran's policy in the region.

Khaled Kaddoumi, Hamas' representative in Iran, argued that relations between Hamas and Iran are strong and positive. “They have an agreed-upon strategy to unite efforts to help Palestine. They also have a common enemy, the Zionist entity, to which they have always declared public hostility,” he told Al-Monitor.

The newspaper lashed out at Hamas, describing it as a tool that is no longer useful and denouncing its ideological support of the Syrian revolution. It claimed the movement is ideologically close to the Islamic State, calling it “a treacherous movement that worships money.”

“The newspaper article reflects an [internal] Iranian split over the relationship with Hamas," Fatima al-Samadi, a researcher at the Al-Jazeera Center for Studies specializing in Iranian affairs, told Al-Monitor. "The two had mended their ties on Iranian terms. At the height of their political dispute over the Syrian revolution, Iran maintained its support for the movement’s military wing. Although the Iranian authorities are on good terms with Hamas, the Iranian people and media seem to have a different take on this relationship. Hamas has failed to establish ties with the Iranian people.”