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US Secretary of State Alleged Iran for Supporting Al-Qaida in the Country

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Jennie Miller

On Tuesday, US Secretary of State Mike Pompeo alleged Iran of having secret ties with the Al-Qaida network and imposed new sanctions on several senior Iranian officials. The comments of Pompeo came just a week before the Trump administration leaves office and appeared aimed at President-elect Joe Biden’s stated desire to resume negotiations with Iran over the 2015 nuclear deal. Point to be noted that President Trump withdrew from the deal in 2018. Pompeo attacked Iran in a speech to the National Press Club just. He alleged Iran for secret ties with Al-Qaida, citing newly declassified intelligence suggesting Tehran harbored the group’s No. 2, Abu Muhammad al-Masri. He was killed in August, reportedly by Israeli agents.

It is noteworthy that Shiite-ruled Iran and predominantly Sunni Al-Qaida aren’t natural allies in the Islamic world. They have had a fraught relationship since the Taliban took over Afghanistan in 1996. Iran alleged Taliban after two years for murdering several of its diplomats in the northern city of Mazar Sharif. However, the US officials had previously confirmed the death of Al-Masri and his daughter, and the widow of Osama bin Laden’s son Hamza. Pompeo’s remarks were the first on-the-record comments supporting the claim. He said, “Today, I can confirm publicly to the world for the first time, his death on Aug. 7 of last year”. He also alleged that Iran had closely monitored Al-Qaida members before Sept. 11, 2001, terrorist attacks in the United States.

The horrible event had stepped up such activity and had decided to actively support them following the nuclear agreement. Pompeo claimed that ties between Al-Qaida and Iran vastly improved in 2015, when the Obama administration was finalizing the nuclear deal, along with France, Germany, and Britain. Pompeo has been adamantly opposed to the nuclear agreement since he was a member of Congress. Pompeo said, “A sea change was happening within the Iran-Al-Qaida axis. Iran decided to allow Al-Qaida to establish a new operational headquarters on the condition that Al-Qaida operatives inside abide by the regime’s rules governing Al-Qaida’s stay inside the country”. He said Iran has given Al-Qaida leaders greater freedom of movement and logistical support to al-Qaida inside Iran since 2015.

 
 
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Jennie Miller
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