Tariq Al-Homayed
Saudi journalist and writer, and former editor-in-chief of Asharq Al-Awsat newspaper
TT

Iranian Terrorism

Any news about the mullah regime in Iran is never positive. Rather, it often focus on the systematic terrorism of the Iranian state, such as the attacks on regional marine navigation, the armament of the Houthis in Yemen and Iranian drones that are killing Ukrainians in Europe.

The mullah regime has tried and is trying to target Iranians in Britain and the United States. It recently tried to kidnapped a journalist who is originally from Iran. Official accusations have been made against the parties involved in the plot.

A recent United Nations report said that Saif al-Adel, one of the most dangerous al-Qaeda operatives, has become the terrorist group’s “uncontested” leader, succeeding Ayman al-Zawahiri. Washington has set a reward of 10 million dollars for anyone who would provide information that would lead to his arrest or killing.

The most important piece of information is that he is currently in Iran. The US State Department confirmed the UN assessment, with a spokesman saying that Saif al-Adel “is based in Iran.”

This is not new information. He has lived there for some time now. An attack against Saudi Arabia in 2003 was carried out at his orders from within Iran.

The new information is that the new al-Qaeda leader is officially living in Iran. This confirms that the mullah regime has and still is al-Qaeda's main backer and protector of its leadership. In August 2020, the group’s second-in-command, Abou Mohammed al-Masri, was assassinated in the streets of Tehran.

All of the above confirms former US Secretary of State Mike Pompeo’s statements in his memoirs, “Never Give an Inch: Fighting for the America I Love.” In it, he said that he had realized early on that the Iranian regime was just a terrorist organization. He concluded that al-Qaeda had taken up Tehran, not Tora Bora in Afghanistan, Pakistan, Iraq or Syria, as its main headquarters.

Therefore, all damning evidence, including from western countries and their security agencies and the United Nations, point to Iran’s sponsorship of terrorism. This is coupled with its actions in the region, from Iraq to Syria, Yemen and Lebanon, and against its own people.

At this, one has to wonder when will the US, West and UN believe that Iran has crossed all red lines? When will they say enough is enough to the mullah regime which has yet to acquire nuclear weapons?

The truth is, the regime – led by its supreme leader and acts carried out by its terrorist proxies – has outdone Saddam Hussein’s regime or any regime in recent memory. And yet, the international community has not taken any serious action against the Iranian regime.

We have not seen media, especially American, coverage that matches the extent of the Iranian crimes. We can only describe American media as hypocritical. The continuation of Tehran’s crimes can be blamed on the international community’s leniency with the mullah regime and this is shameful and suspicious.