Iranian dissident says October 7 attack would not have happened without Iran - and that Republic of Ireland recognition of Palestinian state will undermine peace with Israel and Gaza

An Iranian dissident in Belfast says the October 7 attacks would not have happened without Iran - and that a premature Irish recognition of a Palestinian state will only undermine peace in the region.

Hamid Savar is a 33-year-old Iranian who was speaking after the Republic of Ireland officially recognised a Palestinian state last week.

He has been granted political asylum in Belfast after being jailed in Iran for taking part in street protests against the repressive regime there.

He now campaigns internationally for the current regime - run by Islamic clerics - to be replaced by a secular democracy.

Iranian dissident Hamid Savar speaking at a protest event at Belfast City Hall.

Iran, he believes, was a prime mover in the 7 October attacks by Hamas on Israel which claimed 1,200 lives and resulted in 250 hostages being taken to Gaza.

Hamas - classed as a terror group by the EU and US - claims its subsequent war with Israel has since cost 35,000 lives.

However the dissident says Hamas is trying to give the impression to the world that Israel has killed 35,000 civilians in Gaza for propaganda purposes; For its part Hamas refuses to say what proportion of those killed were armed fighters.

"Hamas is hiding in more than 500 kilometres of reinforced tunnels under Gaza," he adds. "They use civilian buildings such as hospitals, mosques and even schools as human shields. So we can tell that Hamas is lying for propaganda purposes in how it portrays civilian casualties."

Asked for his view on the death and destruction in Gaza, he responds that many civilians in Gaza blame Hamas for their suffering.

"Many people have been harmed in this war on both sides, either by Israel or Hamas. And many people even in Gaza are against Hamas because they think it's terrorist actions have harmed them."

He firmly believes in the UN-backed two-state solution to bring peace between Israel and the Palestinians.

But the Republic of Ireland's decision to recognise a Palestinian state will never achieve this, he says.

"I would support Ireland accepting Palestine as a secular state of government. Why not? They have a right to be in this category.

"But as long as Hamas and the terrorist groups control this region I don't think it is a good idea that either Ireland or any other country would accept Palestine as a state; There is no way that could lead to peace. The ideology of Hamas is definitely to destroy Israel."

The Hamas weapons gathered in Israel after the 7 October attack were found to have been supplied by Iran, he says.

"Hezbollah and Hamas say repeatedly in the media that they are very proud that the Iranian regime is helping them in many ways."

He believes that without the current regime ruling Iran, the October 7 attacks would not have happened.

"Definitely not."

To prove his point, he notes that the monarchy which governed Iran up until 1978 was always at peace with Israel.

The old regime repeatedly mediated for peace between Egypt and Israel when they were at war.

However, the Islamic revolution in 1978 brought in a very new type of Islamic government which was dedicated to the destruction of Israel.

In his view the old monarchy was overthrown by international interests because it insisted on selling Iran's huge oil supplies internationally on his own terms and prices.

He believes Iran is intimately involved in almost every islamic conflict in the world.

"Yes, the international community knows about this. But my question is why don't they do anything about it, as they did with Saddam Hussein and Col Gaddafi?"

In conclusion, he gives his opinion: "It is because Iran is one of the largest oil producers in the world and they do not wish to disrupt its oil supply."