The UK Parliament’s Security and Intelligence Committee has revealed that Iran is providing sanctuary to Al Qaeda’s senior leadership, allowing the terrorist group to maintain global influence and evade Western counter-terrorism efforts.
According to the committee’s report, this “transactional arrangement” enables Al Qaeda to coordinate its international branches from within Iran, creating a complex and less accessible intelligence environment for Western agencies. The group’s current leadership, including Sayf Al Adl—believed to be based in Iran—continues to operate after the deaths of Osama bin Laden and Ayman Al Zawahiri.
The committee cited MI6 Chief Richard Moore, who described Tehran as “extremely pragmatic” in partnering with groups opposed to the U.S., Israel, and the West. Intelligence indicated that a key Al Qaeda body, the Hattin Committee, was active in Iran as recently as 2022.
The report urged the UK government to intensify pressure on Tehran, publicly denounce its support for terrorist organizations like Al Qaeda and Hezbollah, and consider proscribing Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps as a terrorist group.
It also warned that the physical threat from Iran to the UK—particularly targeting dissidents, Jewish and Israeli interests—has “significantly increased,” rivaling threats posed by Russia. Between 2022 and 2023, there were at least 15 Iranian-linked plots involving murder or kidnapping on UK soil.
Lord Beamish, chair of the committee, called Iran’s activities “persistent and unpredictable,” ranging from cyberattacks to espionage and assassination attempts. The report criticized the UK’s Iran policy as reactive “firefighting,” lacking a long-term strategic approach or sufficient expertise.
The Iranian embassy in London has denied the allegations, calling them defamatory and a threat to diplomatic norms.
