Iran has become a new haven for Al Qaeda, much like Afghanistan before, US Secretary of State Mike Pompeo said on Tuesday as he discussed recently declassified intelligence.
The outgoing official doubled down on long-standing allegations of ties between Iran and Al Qaeda.
Mr Pompeo confirmed reports that Al Qaeda’s number two leader, Abu Muhammad Al Masri, was shot in the streets of Tehran in August.
He did not confirm the initial report from The New York Times in November that Israeli agents had killed Mr Al Masri at the behest of the United States.
In his remarks, Mr Pompeo painted Iran as the new base for the terrorist organisation, likening it “the new Afghanistan”.
“Al Qaeda has a new home base,” Mr Pompeo told a group of officials at the National Press Club. “It is the Islamic Republic of Iran. As a result, [Osama] bin Laden’s wicked creation is poised to gain strength. We ignore this Iran-Al Qaeda nexus at our own peril.”
Iran denied the November report by The New York Times that Mr Al Masri, accused of helping to mastermind the 1998 bombings of two US embassies in Africa, was gunned down by Israeli operatives, saying there were no Al Qaeda "terrorists" on its soil.
Mr Pompeo has accused Iran of links to Al Qaeda in the past but has not provided concrete evidence.
"There have been times the Iranians have worked alongside Al Qaeda," then CIA director Mr Pompeo said in October 2017.
While testifying before Congress in 2019, Mr Pompeo asserted that the allegations could allow the president to attack Iran by using the 2001 military authorisation passed to fight Al Qaeda after the September 11 attacks.
Earlier accusations made by the George W Bush administration of Iranian links to Al Qaeda's September 11 attacks on the United States have been discredited. But over the years, there have been reports of Al Qaeda operatives hiding in Iran.
And while Iran and Al Qaeda often find themselves on opposite sides of regional conflicts in places such as Syria, the State Department’s 2019 terrorism report notes that, “Iran remained unwilling to bring to justice senior Al Qaeda (AQ) members residing in the country and has refused to publicly identify members in its custody.”
“Iran has allowed AQ facilitators to operate a core facilitation pipeline through Iran since at least 2009, enabling AQ to move funds and fighters to South Asia and Syria,” the report states.
Mr Pompeo acknowledged that “Tehran actually imposed tight restrictions on its operatives inside Iran for some time” by “putting them under virtual house arrest.”
But he alleged – without offering corroborating evidence – that Iran’s relationship with Al Qaeda changed in 2015, the same year the United States and Iran began finalising the nuclear deal.
“Iran decided to allow Al Qaeda to establish a new operational headquarters on the condition that Al Qaeda operatives abide by the regime’s rules governing Al Qaeda’s stay inside the country,” Mr Pompeo alleged. “Since 2015, Iran has also given Al Qaeda leaders greater freedom of movement inside of Iran under their supervision.”
He also alleged that the Iranian Ministry of Intelligence and the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) have provided “logistical support for things like travel documents, ID cards and passports that enable Al Qaeda activity.”
He also accused Iran of allowing the terrorist group to “fundraise” and “freely communicate with Al Qaeda members around the world.”
Alex Vatanka, a senior fellow at the Middle East Institute based in Washington, said that Mr Pompeo waiting to announce the bombastic accusations until his final week in office made it look like “a political stunt.”
"If the US was serious about this connection, then the issue is, why wasn't anything done about it when Mr Pompeo was in the CIA back in early 2017?" Mr Vatanka told The National.
“Nobody denies the fact, including the Iranians, that there has been a working relationship at times between Iran and Al Qaeda going back to when they were fleeing Afghanistan in 2001. That’s not the issue. The issue is, what is the value of the relationship, and what kind of threat does it pose to the United States and its interests in the Middle East?"
Advisers to President-elect Joe Biden believe the Trump administration is trying to make it harder for him to re-engage with Iran and seek to rejoin an international deal on Iran's nuclear programme.
Relations between Tehran and Washington have deteriorated since 2018 when Mr Trump abandoned the 2015 nuclear deal, which imposed strict curbs on Iran's nuclear activities in return for sanctions relief.
Since the beginning of his administration, Mr Trump has imposed sanctions on Iranian officials, politicians and companies in an effort to force Tehran to negotiate a broader deal that further limits its nuclear works.
While sanctions have sharply lowered Tehran's oil exports and increased the economic hardship of ordinary Iranians, they have failed to bring Iran back to the negotiating table.
More sanctions are expected before Mr Trump leaves office, US officials say.
Mr Pompeo also announced a series of new, targeted sanctions on five Al Qaeda leaders. The new sanctions were placed on Muhammad Abbatay and Sultan Yusuf Hasan Al Arif as well as three leaders of Al Qaeda-affiliated Kurdish battalions fighting on the border between Iran and Iraq: Ismail Fuad Rasul Ahmed, Fuad Ahmad Nuri Ali Al Shakhan and Niamat Hama Rahim Hama Shari.
The State Department is also offering a reward of up to $7 million for information leading to Mr Abbatay’s identification or whereabouts.
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What is tokenisation?
Tokenisation refers to the issuance of a blockchain token, which represents a virtually tradable real, tangible asset. A tokenised asset is easily transferable, offers good liquidity, returns and is easily traded on the secondary markets.
Watch live
The National will broadcast live from the IMF on Friday October 13 at 7pm UAE time (3pm GMT) as our Editor-in-Chief Mina Al-Oraibi moderates a panel on how technology can help growth in MENA.
You can find out more here
The bio
Favourite book: The Alchemist by Paulo Coelho
Favourite travel destination: Maldives and south of France
Favourite pastime: Family and friends, meditation, discovering new cuisines
Favourite Movie: Joker (2019). I didn’t like it while I was watching it but then afterwards I loved it. I loved the psychology behind it.
Favourite Author: My father for sure
Favourite Artist: Damien Hurst
UAE currency: the story behind the money in your pockets
Infiniti QX80 specs
Engine: twin-turbocharged 3.5-liter V6
Power: 450hp
Torque: 700Nm
Price: From Dh450,000, Autograph model from Dh510,000
Available: Now
How Islam's view of posthumous transplant surgery changed
Transplants from the deceased have been carried out in hospitals across the globe for decades, but in some countries in the Middle East, including the UAE, the practise was banned until relatively recently.
Opinion has been divided as to whether organ donations from a deceased person is permissible in Islam.
The body is viewed as sacred, during and after death, thus prohibiting cremation and tattoos.
One school of thought viewed the removal of organs after death as equally impermissible.
That view has largely changed, and among scholars and indeed many in society, to be seen as permissible to save another life.
COMPANY%20PROFILE
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The%20specs
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Why are asylum seekers being housed in hotels?
The number of asylum applications in the UK has reached a new record high, driven by those illegally entering the country in small boats crossing the English Channel.
A total of 111,084 people applied for asylum in the UK in the year to June 2025, the highest number for any 12-month period since current records began in 2001.
Asylum seekers and their families can be housed in temporary accommodation while their claim is assessed.
The Home Office provides the accommodation, meaning asylum seekers cannot choose where they live.
When there is not enough housing, the Home Office can move people to hotels or large sites like former military bases.
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The specs
Engine: 4.0-litre V8 twin-turbocharged and three electric motors
Power: Combined output 920hp
Torque: 730Nm at 4,000-7,000rpm
Transmission: 8-speed dual-clutch automatic
Fuel consumption: 11.2L/100km
On sale: Now, deliveries expected later in 2025
Price: expected to start at Dh1,432,000
Volvo ES90 Specs
Engine: Electric single motor (96kW), twin motor (106kW) and twin motor performance (106kW)
Power: 333hp, 449hp, 680hp
Torque: 480Nm, 670Nm, 870Nm
On sale: Later in 2025 or early 2026, depending on region
Price: Exact regional pricing TBA
GAC GS8 Specs
Engine: 2.0-litre 4cyl turbo
Power: 248hp at 5,200rpm
Torque: 400Nm at 1,750-4,000rpm
Transmission: 8-speed auto
Fuel consumption: 9.1L/100km
On sale: Now
Price: From Dh149,900
The specs: 2019 Mercedes-Benz C200 Coupe
Price, base: Dh201,153
Engine: 2.0-litre turbocharged four-cylinder
Transmission: Nine-speed automatic
Power: 204hp @ 5,800rpm
Torque: 300Nm @ 1,600rpm
Fuel economy, combined: 6.7L / 100km
Teams
Punjabi Legends Owners: Inzamam-ul-Haq and Intizar-ul-Haq; Key player: Misbah-ul-Haq
Pakhtoons Owners: Habib Khan and Tajuddin Khan; Key player: Shahid Afridi
Maratha Arabians Owners: Sohail Khan, Ali Tumbi, Parvez Khan; Key player: Virender Sehwag
Bangla Tigers Owners: Shirajuddin Alam, Yasin Choudhary, Neelesh Bhatnager, Anis and Rizwan Sajan; Key player: TBC
Colombo Lions Owners: Sri Lanka Cricket; Key player: TBC
Kerala Kings Owners: Hussain Adam Ali and Shafi Ul Mulk; Key player: Eoin Morgan
Venue Sharjah Cricket Stadium
Format 10 overs per side, matches last for 90 minutes
Timeline October 25: Around 120 players to be entered into a draft, to be held in Dubai; December 21: Matches start; December 24: Finals
The specs
Engine: 1.5-litre turbo
Power: 181hp
Torque: 230Nm
Transmission: 6-speed automatic
Starting price: Dh79,000
On sale: Now
PROFILE OF SWVL
Started: April 2017
Founders: Mostafa Kandil, Ahmed Sabbah and Mahmoud Nouh
Based: Cairo, Egypt
Sector: transport
Size: 450 employees
Investment: approximately $80 million
Investors include: Dubai’s Beco Capital, US’s Endeavor Catalyst, China’s MSA, Egypt’s Sawari Ventures, Sweden’s Vostok New Ventures, Property Finder CEO Michael Lahyani
Empire of Enchantment: The Story of Indian Magic
John Zubrzycki, Hurst Publishers
UAE currency: the story behind the money in your pockets
What the law says
Micro-retirement is not a recognised concept or employment status under Federal Decree Law No. 33 of 2021 on the Regulation of Labour Relations (as amended) (UAE Labour Law). As such, it reflects a voluntary work-life balance practice, rather than a recognised legal employment category, according to Dilini Loku, senior associate for law firm Gateley Middle East.
“Some companies may offer formal sabbatical policies or career break programmes; however, beyond such arrangements, there is no automatic right or statutory entitlement to extended breaks,” she explains.
“Any leave taken beyond statutory entitlements, such as annual leave, is typically regarded as unpaid leave in accordance with Article 33 of the UAE Labour Law. While employees may legally take unpaid leave, such requests are subject to the employer’s discretion and require approval.”
If an employee resigns to pursue micro-retirement, the employment contract is terminated, and the employer is under no legal obligation to rehire the employee in the future unless specific contractual agreements are in place (such as return-to-work arrangements), which are generally uncommon, Ms Loku adds.
