Iran denounces CIA ‘fake news’ about raid that killed Osama bin Laden in Abbottabad

The Fars news agency, which is close to Iranian conservatives, said yesterday that the selective publication of documents by the CIA related to Al-Qaeda was part of efforts "to put pressure on Iran".

osama bin laden, CIA, Iran, abbottabad, navy SEAL

“A record low for the reach of petrodollars: CIA & FDD fake news w/selective AlQaeda docs re: Iran can’t whitewash role of US allies in 9/11,” Iranian Foreign Minister Mohammad Javad Zarif wrote on Twitter late Thursday.

Iran has accused the CIA of spreading “fake news” about the Islamic republic with newly declassified files seized in the 2011 raid in Pakistan in which Al-Qaeda chief Osama bin Laden was killed. The CIA on Wednesday released 470,000 additional files found in May 2011 when US Navy SEALs burst into Bin Laden’s compound in Abbottabad and shot him dead.

According to scholars from the Foundation for Defense of Democracies (FDD), who were allowed to see the trove before it was made public, the files shed new light on the murky relationship between the Sunni extremist group and Shiite Iran. Iranian Foreign Minister Mohammad Javad Zarif dismissed the allegations.

“A record low for the reach of petrodollars: CIA & FDD fake news w/selective AlQaeda docs re: Iran can’t whitewash role of US allies in 9/11,” he wrote on Twitter late Thursday.

Story continues below this ad

The release of the files comes as US President Donald Trump’s administration seeks to ramp up pressure on Iran, refusing to certify a landmark nuclear deal between Tehran and world powers. Iran denies any link to Al-Qaeda and has provided financial and military backing to help the Syrian regime fight Sunni extremists and other opponents.

The Fars news agency, which is close to Iranian conservatives, said yesterday that the selective publication of documents by the CIA related to Al-Qaeda was part of efforts “to put pressure on Iran”.

Stay updated with the latest - Click here to follow us on Instagram

Disquiet in film board: ‘Censorship raj’, no meeting in 6 years, no reports, term lapsed

53 min ago

A controversial decision-making process has set off divisions within the CBFC, and cast a long regulatory shadow on the Indian film industry as it aspires to be a global player . The Indian Express spoke to several top filmmakers and board members to find that a not-so-silent storm is brewing within the fraternity — and inside the CBFC, too — over what many call a “one-man show”.

View all shorts

Live Blog

PHOTOS