Sharjah 24 - Reuters: US Secretary of State Mike Pompeo on Tuesday accused Iran of having secret ties with the al-Qaida network and imposed new sanctions on several senior Iranian officials, AP reported.
In a speech to the National Press Club just, Pompeo attacked Iran for secret ties with al-Qaida, citing newly declassified intelligence suggesting Tehran harboured the group's No. 2, Abu Muhammad al-Masri, who was killed in August, reportedly by Israeli agents.
Although U.S. officials had previously confirmed the death of al-Masri and his daughter, the widow of Osama bin Laden's son Hamza, Pompeo's remarks were the first on-the-record comments supporting the claim.
Today, I can confirm publicly to the world for the first time, his death on Aug. 7 of last year, Pompeo said. He also alleged that Iran had closely monitored al-Qaida members before the Sept. 11, 2001, terrorist attacks in the United States and had stepped up such activity and had decided to actively support them following the nuclear agreement.
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