Syria dismisses US claim of link between Iran, al-Qaeda as American hallucination

Syria strongly denounces the United States’ fresh allegations of a link between the al-Qaeda terrorist organization and Iran, calling such accusations “American hallucination.”

An official source within Syria’s Foreign and Expatriates Ministry made the remarks on Thursday, conveying Damascus’ complete solidarity with the Islamic Republic “in the face of the American delirium," Syria's official news agency SANA reported. 

The Syrian foreign ministry source said Washington's accusation fits within “the framework of the US’ hysteric campaign against Iran,” saying the Arab country expresses its “extreme denunciation and astonishment” concerning the claim.

On Tuesday, US Secretary of State Mike Pompeo, who has established himself as the most radical anti-Iran official within US President Donald Trump’s now-outgoing administration, called Iran the terrorist group’s “new home base” without producing any evidence. He made the remarks as part of, what he called publicizing “declassified US intelligence,” which — as in the case of Washington’s other claims against Tehran — surprisingly lacked all “declassified proof.”

This was not the first time Pompeo was trying to associate the terror group with Iran. Similar to the latest push, however, his previous such attempts too lacked any evidentiary basis.

Pompeo’s allegations come although all the US’ previous such accusations, including those made by former president George W. Bush’s administration — during which al-Qaeda’s 9/11 attacks against the US took place — have been discredited.

Iranian officials have identified such efforts as Washington’s attempt to try and eclipse its own role in creation and reinforcement of al-Qaeda and similar terror outfits.

Zarif calls Pompeo’s ‘Iran, Qaeda link’ rant warmongering lies

Foreign Minister Mohammad Javad Zarif says his American counterpart is marking the twilight of his already “disastrous” career by resorting to warmongering lies against Iran.

The Syrian official likewise said the top US diplomat had come up with the remarks as “a desperate attempt” to project the accusations that faced “the US [own] harebrained administration and attach it to others.”

Such accusations “no longer deceive [anyone], except those who launch them,” the source noted.

He further called the terrorist organization “one of the tools of the US policy to terrify [other] peoples and destabilize other countries and subjugate them to the US hegemony.”

A day earlier, Zamir Kabulov, who is Russia's presidential envoy on issues related to Afghanistan, had similarly slammed Pompeo’s rant as “absolutely unsubstantiated and unreasonable.”

Absolutely groundless: Russia rejects US claim of Iran-Qaeda ties

Russia calls the United States’ latest bout of trying to link the al-Qaeda terrorist group and Iran without providing any proof, “absolutely” groundless.

“There is absolutely no information” to support such a claim, the Russian official had added.

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