9/11 terrorists came from Pompeo's favourite Middle East destinations: Iran's Foreign Minister
Mohammad Javad Zarif
Iran’s Foreign Minister Javad Zarif has taken to Twitter to berate the US secretary of state, Mike Pompeo, after reports emerged that the top American diplomat has accused Tehran of having links with al-Qaeda.
In fiery remarks, Zarif called the allegations allegedly based on intelligence data "fictitious", adding that Mr “we lie, cheat, steal" Pompeo, "is pathetically ending his disastrous career with more warmongering lies."
"No one is fooled," Zarif tweeted. "All 9/11 terrorists came" from Pompeo's "favourite" Middle East "destinations" he added. "NONE from Iran."
The majority of the perpetrators of the September 11, 2001, attacks in New York came from US-ally Saudi Arabia.
Earlier in on Tuesday, US Secretary of State Mike Pompeo said, without providing hard evidence, that al-Qaeda had established a new home base in Iran.
)
The Royals enter the Doctor Who universe: King Charles and Queen Camilla beam into Commonwealth Games in TARDIS
)
Argentina firefighting helicopter crashes, killing 7 on rescue mission
)
Kangana Ranaut clarifies her 'Generation Gutter' remark: 'Gen Z of our country are taking us to such heights' - watch
)
Assam floods 2026: Salman Khan, Alia Bhatt and other Bollywood celebrities extend support to affected families
)
US Fed keeps rates unchanged, but Iran war price pressures trigger unusual split
)
India avoids higher US tariff, secures lower 10% rate. Here's how
)
Ramayana trailer X review: Ranbir Kapoor, Yash shine in a visual spectacle fans call 'cinema at its finest'
)
28-year-old woman PhD scholar dies of electrocution on Panjab University campus
)
Underwater lightning bolts in the Pacific Ring of Fire baffle scientists
)
CJP founder Abhijeet Dipke returns to Maharashtra, receives grand welcome in hometown
)
Ramayana Part 1 trailer out! Ranbir Kapoor, Sai Pallavi and Yash lead Nitesh Tiwari’s epic saga
)
Brewery offering 'free beer' the day Trump dies has license revoked - 'Will have to pry me out of my taprooms'
)
'There is no Pakistani Kashmir, only Pakistan-occupied Kashmir': Indian Embassy in US calls out 'misleading' NYT headline
)
3.6mn people track 24hr Qantas flight from Melbourne to Toulouse: Pilot shifts, fuel tank and other details
)
Cat’s bizarre reaction before Japan earthquake goes viral: Did it detect the tremors?
)
ITR filing without Form 16? Here’s how salaried taxpayers can submit returns before July 31 deadline
)
After BTS' Grammys boycott, HYBE breaks silence: 'This is not a boycott at the company level'
)
DSP among 7 policemen killed as militants storm Pakistan checkpost; 8 attackers dead
)
NEET Protests riddled with misinformation? Delhi Police blocks 480 Pakistan-based handles spreading 'fake news' since Operation Sindoor
)
North Korean colonel killed by firing squad for stealing grain as 'deeply shaken' officers watched
)
'Powerful response': US launches fresh revenge strikes on Iran after Trump vow to 'hit back hard'
)
Iran’s AI breakthrough amid war: New indigenous system boosts oil recovery by 59% | Gravitas
)
Russia-Ukraine War: Putin's big warning amid Ukraine war escalation
)
Trump says Iranian school bombing photos could be AI-generated - 'I don’t think...'
)
Are you an Indian on an H-1B visa? New US bill could make getting Green Card easier
)
582 tonnes, 150 million°C, 60 years: WION Decodes the mind-boggling numbers behind China's 'Artificial Sun'
)
Claude AI down? Anthropic confirms outage as users face errors across chatbot and API
)
Explosions heard on LNG vessels at Egypt's Damietta Port; fire erupts
)
'Yo Kangana, take a chill pill!' CJP's Saurav Das reacts to Ranaut's 'useless and unemployed' comment
)
‘We're going to be hitting them very hard’: Trump vows heavy strike after US intercepts Iranian missile attack
)
Student denied admission to IIT Kanpur's cybersecurity program hacks websites to prove a point
The New York Times reported in November that al-Qaeda’s Abu Muhammad al-Masri, accused of helping to mastermind the 1998 bombings of two US embassies in Africa, was gunned down by Israeli operatives in Iran. Iran denied the report, saying there were no al-Qaeda “terrorists” on its soil.
Pompeo told a news conference at the National Press Club in Washington that he was announcing publicly for the first time that al-Masri died on August 7 last year.
Pompeo said his presence in Iran was no surprise, and added: “Al-Masri’s presence inside Iran points to the reason that we’re here today ... al-Qaeda has a new home base: it is the Islamic Republic of Iran.”
"I would say Iran is indeed the new Afghanistan –- as the key geographic hub for Al-Qaeda -- but it's actually worse.
"Unlike in Afghanistan, when Al-Qaeda was hiding in the mountains, Al-Qaeda today is operating under the hard shell of the Iranian regime's protection."
(With inputs from agencies)