Obama Administration Imposes Sanctions on Iran-Based Al-Qaeda Members After Denying Cooperation

The Obama administration has sanctioned three senior al-Qaeda members operating in Iran just weeks after dismissing reports of cooperation between the global terror organization and the Islamic Republic, deepening criticism from experts and lawmakers that the administration is seeking to downplay those connections in order to avoid complications with last summer's nuclear deal.

The three members sanctioned on Wednesday helped move al-Qaeda "money and operatives from South Asia and across the Middle East" for years, the Treasury Department said in a statement. One of the operatives, Yisra Muhammad Ibrahim Bayumi, worked with Iranian officials.

An Obama administration official told THE WEEKLY STANDARD earlier this month that "[a]nyone who thinks Iran was or is in bed with al-Qaeda doesn't know much about either."

Lawmakers and experts who spoke to TWS in the aftermath of the new sanctions announcement suggested that some in the administration may be seeking to downplay Iranian terror activities to avoid having to confront Tehran. Iranian officials have repeatedly said that any new sanctions would be a violation of the nuclear deal, and have said that broader counterterrorism measures are also violations.

"The Obama administration continues to wear blinders when it comes to the terrorist threat—its latest talking points ignore history and reality related to the world's largest state sponsor of terrorism, Iran," Kansas congressman Mike Pompeo told TWS. "We cannot be lulled into a false sense of security, particularly as reports surface that al-Qaeda was working on chemical and biological weapons in Iran. The Iranian government's direct work with, and harboring of, senior members of al-Qaeda must elicit a greater response."