Iran: Khamenei’s role in 9/11

April 2011

As you may have seen in the news in early March 2016 a New York criminal court judge cited obvious evidence accusing Iranian Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei as second in line after former al-Qaeda leader Osama bin Laden in the September 11^th terrorist attacks. This gained media attention and political analysts across the globe. However, the question is what developments have brought Khamenei’s role in the 9/11 attacks forward to center stage once again?

We may be able to name different elements in this regard. However, in general two main elements have led to such an issue being raised. The first elements is Iran’s role in the international and regional balance of power, which can be named as a fundamental issue. The signing of the nuclear agreement (JCPOA) and developments in the region including Syria, Yemen and Iraq, and the setbacks Iran suffered in the parliamentary and Assembly of Experts, have all tipped the regime’s own balance and weakened the entire establishment. The second element is the fact that we are in the U.S. elections year.

Logically when looking at the scene and international balance of power, Iran is in an extremely weak position and is forced to give in before international parties. When the parties involved witness this weakness they obviously take the next step. Prior to the signing of the nuclear agreement even Khamenei himself had said time and again, “Any retreat from the nuclear program will have a chain reaction of retreats.” He repeated these remarks in his speech on March 20^th in Mashhad.

A question coming to mind is was the U.S. completely unaware of this and is this a new discovery? If not, then why has it waited all these years and only now published documents of Iran cooperating with al-Qaeda?

The answer was provided by the media citing a senior U.S. judiciary official saying the U.S. government has been fully informed about the relationship between Iran and al-Qaeda, before and after 9/11, and the most important documents were those presented by National Security Agency.

Although, why hasn’t the U.S. unveiled these documents to this day is a matter specifically related to the U.S. government’s policy of appeasement, because it is obvious that if it had made clear the regime’s relationship with al-Qaeda and the 9/11 attacks, and accused Khamenei himself as a suspect after bin Laden, there would no longer be any negotiations with Iran or letters between Obama and Khamenei. In fact, the U.S. government sought to never close the path for negotiations. In this regard one of the witnesses, a former CIA anti-terrorism agent involved, told the media the U.S. government was skeptical about revealing how the Iranian regime’s was involved in the 9/11 attacks.

What is important in this regard is the consequences Iran is facing after these accusations. The remarks made by the CIA witness makes it very clear. Washington saying Khamenei was involved in 9/11 would mean war with Iran, he explained. Of course, it is not a military war that we are talking about here. This can be described as intensifying the political war and closing all paths before the regime in the region, its human rights violations, terrorism and other issues.

Therefore, the path of negotiations and appeasement vis-à-vis Iran would have become much harder and a very much narrower path. This judicial order brings requirements for the U.S. government and its official organs. These institutions are not permitted to easily deal with Iran, being accused of having a role in 9/11. These reservations are not only very serious in the U.S. elections year, but also the candidate that wins the elections and be elected as president,  regardless of what party they belong to, will no longer be able to appease the mullahs as Obama had done.