Iran is hosting Al Qaeda leadership, UK intelligence says

Worries in the MI6 grow as leadership in Iran meets with senior Al-Qaeda chiefs and allegedly comes to a “transactional arrangement,” The National reported on July 10th.

Richard Moore, the head of the UK’s Secret Intelligence Service, has growing concerns around the developing relationship between Iran and Al Qaeda. He believes the Iranian regime has been “extremely pragmatic in terms of [the] partners it will enlist” and prioritises relationships that “are prepared to work against its common enemy in the shape of the United States, the West, and Israel in particular.”

Many of Al-Qaeda’s core leadership have died in recent years, including Osama Bin Laden in 2011 and his successor Ayman Al Zawahiri in 2022. However, the new leader of the organisation, Sayf Al Adl, is based in Iran, which reportedly poses a risk to the West.

The British Parliaments security and intelligence committee reported on the alarming situation, disclosing how Iran has been a place of refuge for Al-Qaeda since 2022, protecting them from Western counter-terrorism.

The committee stated: “Being based in Iran has allowed Al-Qaeda to retain some oversight of franchises internationally, creating a complex intelligence landscape, as Iran is a less accessible environment for the West than other parts of the world – which, in turn, may have increased the Al-Qaeda threat.”

The committee’s report suggested the British government should apply increased pressure on Iran to cut ties with the terrorist organisation, along with groups such as Hezbollah.

The Iranian regime itself has also supposedly become a cause of concern for Britain, the 241-page report’s main finding was the “significantly increased” alleged “physical threat” Iran poses to UK citizens – Even comparing it to the threat of Russia.

Iran seemed to be more hostile to the West following its 12-day war with Israel. According to Maghrebi on July 8th, Iran currently holds detainees from multiple European countries, including the United Kingdom. Detainees are reportedly in “degrading conditions with no fair trial,” and many European leaders are alluding to the possibility they are being held as political leverage.

Committee chairman Lord Beamish highlights Iran’s interference in the UK, alerting how it comes in the form of infiltration, espionage, and cyber-attacks. He believes the main reason for Iranian interference is due to dissent and anti-regime activities in London.

Furthermore, according to intelligence, there have been at least 15 attempts of murder or kidnapping of British nationals or UK residents since 2022. The committee proposed that the British government make clear to Tehran these attempts “constitute an attack on the UK and would receive the appropriate response.”

The Iranian embassy in the UK responded: “The suggestion that Iran engages in or supports acts of physical violence, espionage, or cyber aggression on British soil or against British interests abroad, is wholly rejected.”

The relationship between the UK and Iran stands at a point of tension as the Iranian regime grows ever closer to Al-Qaeda. Britain braces for the possible dangers that could come from this controversial affiliation.

The National, Maghrebi.org