(MENAFN- Khaama Press) The US State Department said that the Islamic Republic continues to provide safe haven to senior Al-Qaeda leaders on Iranian soil.
According to media outlets, the Department notes that since 2009, Iran has allowed Al-Qaeda to facilitate its terrorist activities through a key communication line and transfer its budget and fighters to South Asia, Syria, and elsewhere.
The US state department emphasized that despite being aware of Al-Qaeda leader's activities in Iran, the Islamic Republic continues to deny their presence in the country, as reported by Afghanistan International.
The Islamic Republic of Iran has been highlighted as the main destabilizing force in the Middle East since 1978, according to the report. Additionally, the US State Department identifies Iran as a significant sponsor of terrorism, supporting various terrorist activities globally through organizations like Hezbollah and Hamas.
The United Nations Security Council recently disclosed the establishment of eight new Al-Qaeda training camps in Afghanistan on December 12th. These camps operate with intermediaries connecting Saif al-Adel, Al-Qaeda's leader in Iran, with key figures like Abd al-Rahman al-Ghamdi in Afghanistan. The report underscores Al-Qaeda's presence in secure houses across Iran and Afghanistan, with members regularly moving between the two countries.
In a report released in February 2023, the United Nations stated that Saif al-Adel assumed leadership of Al-Qaeda after the killing of Ayman al-Zawahiri in Kabul in 2022, believed to be residing in Iran.
The US State Department separately confirmed Saif al-Adel's presence in Iran.
The Islamic Republic's mission to the United Nations rejected reports of a new Al-Qaeda leader in Iran, with Foreign Minister Hossein Amir Abdollahian dismissing Al-Qaeda leaders' presence in Iran as“ridiculous.”
Meanwhile, The New York Times reported on November 13, 2020, that Israeli agents had assassinated Abdallah Ahmed Abdallah, known as Abu Muhammad al-Masri, Al-Qaeda's deputy leader, in northern Tehran three months earlier.
Both Saif al-Adel and Abu Muhammad al-Masri, both Egyptians and among Al-Qaeda's senior leaders, reportedly continued their activities in leading the Al-Qaeda network from within Iran after being released from Iranian custody following a prisoner exchange in 2015.
Despite repeated denials, over the past decade, numerous reports have surfaced regarding the presence of senior Al-Qaeda leaders or Osama bin Laden family members in Iran.
Since 2011, the US has spoken about the relationship between the Islamic Republic and Al-Qaeda and the presence of the network's leaders in Iran.
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