<p>US Secretary of State Mike Pompeo alleged Tuesday that arch-enemy Iran has become a new "home base" for Al-Qaeda worse than Afghanistan, an assertion questioned by experts.</p>.<p>In a speech a week before leaving office, Pompeo confirmed a New York Times report that Al-Qaeda's second-in-command was killed last year in Tehran, although he did not say that Israel carried it out.</p>.<p>"Al-Qaeda has a new home base. It is the Islamic Republic of Iran," Pompeo said in a speech at the National Press Club.</p>.<p>"I would say Iran is indeed the new Afghanistan -- as the key geographic hub for Al-Qaeda -- but it's actually worse.</p>.<p>"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."</p>.<p>He urged more international pressure, calling the alleged alliance a "massive force for evil all over the world."</p>.<p>President Donald Trump's hawkish top diplomat stopped short of urging military action, saying: "If we did have that option, if we chose to do that, there's a much greater risk in executing it."</p>.<p>But he announced sanctions on several individuals and a $7 million reward for information on an Al-Qaeda member he said was believed to be in Iran identified both as Muhammad Abbatay or Abd al-Rahman al-Maghrebi.</p>.<p>Iran, a Shiite clerical state, is ideologically opposed both to Al-Qaeda and the Islamic State group, extreme Sunni movements that are predominantly Arab, and has fought on fronts abroad against both.</p>.<p>Many experts believe that Tehran has allowed Al-Qaeda operatives to use its territory -- comparatively safe from the US military -- to provide guarantees that the extremists will not target Iran.</p>.<p>Pompeo acknowledged that late Al-Qaeda founder Osama bin Laden himself "considered Al-Qaeda members inside the Islamic Republic of Iran to be hostages" and that there was no evidence Iran backed the September 11, 2001 attacks, mostly carried out by Saudi nationals.</p>.<p>But Pompeo, a former CIA chief, said that Iran in recent years has permitted Al-Qaeda greater freedom of movement including issuing travel documents, and that the group has "centralized leadership" in Tehran.</p>.<p>"Tehran has allowed Al-Qaeda to fund-raise, to freely communicate with other Al-Qaeda members around the world and perform many other functions that were previously directed from Afghanistan and Pakistan," Pompeo said.</p>.<p>Pompeo has championed a hard line on Iran including sweeping sanctions that have ravaged its economy.</p>.<p>President-elect Joe Biden is expected to seek a return to diplomacy and has tapped Bill Burns, a widely respected former diplomat who has led secret negotiations with Iran, as CIA chief.</p>
<p>US Secretary of State Mike Pompeo alleged Tuesday that arch-enemy Iran has become a new "home base" for Al-Qaeda worse than Afghanistan, an assertion questioned by experts.</p>.<p>In a speech a week before leaving office, Pompeo confirmed a New York Times report that Al-Qaeda's second-in-command was killed last year in Tehran, although he did not say that Israel carried it out.</p>.<p>"Al-Qaeda has a new home base. It is the Islamic Republic of Iran," Pompeo said in a speech at the National Press Club.</p>.<p>"I would say Iran is indeed the new Afghanistan -- as the key geographic hub for Al-Qaeda -- but it's actually worse.</p>.<p>"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."</p>.<p>He urged more international pressure, calling the alleged alliance a "massive force for evil all over the world."</p>.<p>President Donald Trump's hawkish top diplomat stopped short of urging military action, saying: "If we did have that option, if we chose to do that, there's a much greater risk in executing it."</p>.<p>But he announced sanctions on several individuals and a $7 million reward for information on an Al-Qaeda member he said was believed to be in Iran identified both as Muhammad Abbatay or Abd al-Rahman al-Maghrebi.</p>.<p>Iran, a Shiite clerical state, is ideologically opposed both to Al-Qaeda and the Islamic State group, extreme Sunni movements that are predominantly Arab, and has fought on fronts abroad against both.</p>.<p>Many experts believe that Tehran has allowed Al-Qaeda operatives to use its territory -- comparatively safe from the US military -- to provide guarantees that the extremists will not target Iran.</p>.<p>Pompeo acknowledged that late Al-Qaeda founder Osama bin Laden himself "considered Al-Qaeda members inside the Islamic Republic of Iran to be hostages" and that there was no evidence Iran backed the September 11, 2001 attacks, mostly carried out by Saudi nationals.</p>.<p>But Pompeo, a former CIA chief, said that Iran in recent years has permitted Al-Qaeda greater freedom of movement including issuing travel documents, and that the group has "centralized leadership" in Tehran.</p>.<p>"Tehran has allowed Al-Qaeda to fund-raise, to freely communicate with other Al-Qaeda members around the world and perform many other functions that were previously directed from Afghanistan and Pakistan," Pompeo said.</p>.<p>Pompeo has championed a hard line on Iran including sweeping sanctions that have ravaged its economy.</p>.<p>President-elect Joe Biden is expected to seek a return to diplomacy and has tapped Bill Burns, a widely respected former diplomat who has led secret negotiations with Iran, as CIA chief.</p>