Hamas, outlawed by the United States as a “terrorist organization,” has pledged to Egypt it will combat terror in Sinai, while Muslim Brotherhood President Mohammed Morsi vows to stand with Hamas “as one.”

De facto Gaza Prime Minister Ismail Haniyeh told Cairo the terrorist party will cooperate with Egypt to overcome the anarchy of terrorism in the Sinai so long as it does not involve cooperation with “the Zionist enemy.”

Morsi, who has been careful not to express his pre-campaign views against the 1979 peace treaty with Israel, told Haniyeh, “Egypt’s support [of Hamas] is unwavering, Cairo stands by Gaza’s side.”

The two Muslim leaders talked on the telephone in an exchange of greetings on the Eid al-Fitr holiday marking the end of the month of Ramadan.

Hamas, which rules Gaza, is faced with rival terrorist groups, and now enjoys the full backing of an Egyptian government that the Obama administration has retained as an ally despite its close association with Hamas.

Morsi has signaled he will form an alliance with Iran, where he will travel to Tehran next week to resume ties with the regime of Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad after more than 30 years of a diplomatic freeze.

Morsi will attend a meeting of the Non-Aligned Movement, now headed by Cairo and which will be led by Iran after next week.