Iran has allowed al-Qaeda to set up its operational headquarters and fundraise from within Iranian territory, US Secretary of State Mike Pompeo announced Tuesday, a week before a new administration bent on reviving diplomacy with Tehran takes office.
“Al-Qaeda has a new home base. It is the Islamic Republic of Iran,” Pompeo said during a speech at the National Press Club in Washington. “Al-Qaeda today is operating under the hard shell of the Iranian regime’s protection.”