New documents have appeared in the media over Iran’s role in the worst ever terrorist attack on American soil. 9/11 changed the course of modern history, and provided years of windfall gains for Tehran against its rivals in the Middle East. Iran usurped this opportunity to further expand its dangerous influence in the region, plunging the people of these countries into utter chaos. The international community needs to take firm action to hold Tehran responsible for the massacre of innocent civilians, from inside Iran to the Middle East and beyond.
Under the framework of the unveiled truth and documents raised by a New York federal court over Iran’s involvement in the 9/11 attacks in New York and Washington, two witnesses from the CIA have testified that cooperation between Iran and al-Qaeda actually dates back to 1996 and the Khobar Tower bombings. The two witnesses added this collaboration enjoyed the blessing of Iranian Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei himself.
New judiciary documents have unearthed the role of the Iranian regime, and the supreme leader himself, in planning and facilitating the 9/11 attacks. One major aspect is the role of the Lebanese Hezbollah, a known Iranian proxy, in money laundering and strengthening al-Qaeda’s financial abilities through the diamond trade.
Cooperation between senior Iranian and al-Qaeda officials were approved and given a green light under the framework of the Iranian government’s official policy, sealed personally by Khamenei and then Iranian spy chief Ali Fallahian. The Iran/al-Qaeda cooperation kicked into full gear in the 1996 Khobar Tower bombings, and 1998 U.S. embassy attacks in eastern Africa, targeting the U.S. Navy warship U.S.S. Cole in 2000. The two CIA witnesses testified how the Iran/al-Qaeda honeymoon continued following the 9/11 attacks, leading to the 2003 Riyadh residential complex bombings. 38 people lost their lives and 160 others were left injured.
Unfortunately, the appeasement policy adopted by Western states has provided Iran the very important cover needed to continue wreaking havoc across the region and abroad through its terrorism policies. Proof of how devastatingly wrong the appeasement policy has been can easily be traced in Iraq where Iran has exacerbated its influence from 2003 to this day. It is also seen in Syria where, according to various reports, nearly half a million people have perished at the hands of the Bashar Assad dictatorship, a known puppet of Iran. And in Lebanon where Hezbollah – Iran’s offspring – has paralyzed all political life. And last but not least, in Yemen where Iran-backed Shiite Houthi militias attempted to topple the internationally-recognized government and take over the entire country.
From day one back in 1979, the mullahs in Iran established the first “Islamic State” in modern history based on two central tenets – of domestic crackdown and rampant terrorism abroad. Iran’s fingerprints and footprints can be detected in nearly all terrorist attacks across the globe. It is high time for the senior brass of this regime to be held accountable before international tribunals.
