There is reason to believe relations between Iran and al-Qaeda date back to the early 1990s. Contacts between Tehran and al-Qaeda began when bin Laden was in Sudan, and continued following his transfer to Afghanistan. The bilateral relations played an active role in developments that led the 9/11 attacks in New York and hundreds of al-Qaeda senior and low-ranking members fleeing from the Afghanistan hills into Iran following the US-led war in Afghanistan. Numerous al-Qaeda members remain in Iran, including:
Feysal Khlaedi, in charge of relations between al-Qaeda and Pakistan Taliban.
Mohamed Ibrahim Biumi, who according to the US Treasury Department played a mediator role with Tehran, gathered financial support for al-Qaeda and its branches in Syria.
Abu Bakr Mohamed Mohamed Qamin, in charge of providing money and structuring the al-Qaeda hierarchy in Iran.
Mohsen Fazli, founder of the Khorasan group, who was killed in an airstrike.
Majed al-Majed, head of the Abdullah Azam Battalion who trained and lived in Iran.
A number of Bin Laden’s family members were once living in Iran, including his wife who was killed along his side in Pakistan. His boys, Mohamad, Hamze, Laden and Saad, along with their sisters and uncles were living in Iran.
Source: / ncr-iran /