Israel called for bipartisan support from the United States against the establishment of a Palestinian state, which it said would be a reward for Hamas and its backer Iran, Reuters reports.

Israel’s foreign minister, Israel Katz, who met top House Republican Elise Stefanik earlier, said if a Palestinian state was established, Iran would use it as a base to “work towards the destruction of Israel”.

He told Stefanik the US must lead a resolution at the International Energy Agency’s council next month to promote further sanctions against Iran to stop it from obtaining nuclear weapons and supporting groups like Hamas.

Iran denies seeking nuclear weapons.