In a written statement from his office, Iran's supreme leader Khamenei told the Hamas delegation that the Palestinian cause is the first and foremost issue of the Muslim world.

"Victory will not be achieved without resistance and struggle and, based on a definite divine promise, we believe that the issue of Palestine will surely end in favor of the Palestinian people and the Islamic world," Khamenei said.

The move by countries that toe the line of the US, like Saudi Arabia, to distance themselves from the Palestinian issue is absurd because if they had supported the Palestinians, they could have won major concessions from the United States, Khamenei stressed.  

Decrying the US conspiracy for the deal of the century, Khamenei said the betrayal of the cause of Palestine by some Muslim countries, including Bahrain and Saudi Arabia, has provided the grounds for the evil plot.

The deal of the century will never materialize, Khamenei said, expressing gratitude to some Arab countries and the Palestinian groups that have voiced their opposition to the deal.

Aruri stressed that the Defense Forces of Hamas and other resistance groups are further ahead than in previous years.

The deal of century ploy, fronted by US President Donald Trump's son-in-law Jared Kushner, has already been rejected by the Palestinians, who say the White House's policies have been blatantly biased in favor of Israel.

Palestinians have cut off all contacts with the Trump administration since the president broke with decades of bipartisan policy to recognize al-Quds (Jerusalem) as the capital of Israel in December 2017.

ILKHA