Pompeo hits Iran for al-Qaida support on his way out

Secretary of State Mike Pompeo on Tuesday accused Iran of having secret ties with al-Qaida network and imposed new sanctions on several senior Iranian officials.

Pompeo’s comments come just a week before Trump administration leaves office and appeared aimed at President-elect Joe Biden’s stated desire to resume negotiations with Iran over 2015 nuclear deal. President Donald Trump withdrew from deal in 2018.

In a speech to National Press Club just, Pompeo attacked Iran for alleged secret ties with al-Qaida, citing newly declassified intelligence suggesting Tehran harbored group’s . 2, Abu Muhammad al-Masri, who was killed in August, reportedly by Israeli nts.

Shiite-ruled Iran and predominantly Sunni al-Qaida are t natural allies in Islamic world and have had a fraught relationship since Taliban, which harbored bin Laden, took over Afghanistan in 1996. Two years later, Iran accused Taliban of murdering several of it diplomats in rrn city of Mazar-i-Sharif.

Although U.S. officials had previously confirmed death of al-Masri and his daughter, widow of Osama bin Laden’s son Hamza, Pompeo’s remarks were first on--record comments supporting claim.

“Today, I can confirm publicly to world for first time, his death on Aug. 7 of last year,” Pompeo said. He also alleged that Iran had “closely monitored” al-Qaida members before Sept. 11, 2001, terrorist attacks in United States and had stepped up such activity and had decided to actively support m following nuclear agreement.

Pompeo claimed that ties between al-Qaida and Iran vastly improved in 2015, when Obama administration, along with France, Germany and Britain, were finalizing nuclear deal. He offered evidence for claim. Pompeo has been adamantly opposed to nuclear agreement since he was a member of Congress.

“A sea change was happening within Iran-al-Qaida axis,” Pompeo said. “Iran decided to allow al-Qaida to establish a new operational headquarters, on condition that al-Qaida operatives inside abide by regime’s rules governing al-Qaida’s stay inside country.”

He said that since 2015, Iran has given al-Qaida leaders greater freedom of movement inside Iran and have provided safe havens and logistical support to al-Qaida. Pompeo asserted that al-Qaida had w based its leadership in Tehran and was continuing to plot attacks on U.S. and Western targets from re.

Iran has denied all such charges.