'Back to the Cheney playbook': Fears of war grow as Trump administration plans to accuse Iran of ties to Al Qaeda
U.S. Secretary of State Mike Pompeo is reportedly planning to accuse Iran of links to Al Qaeda in a speech Tuesday, an allegation critics described as a rehashing of a Bush administration lie that served as part of the rationale for the catastrophic invasion of Iraq in 2003.
Reuters reported late Monday that Pompeo—a warhawk and an architect of the Trump administration's so-called "maximum pressure" strategy—"plans to use newly declassified U.S. intelligence on Tuesday to publicly accuse Iran of ties to Al Qaeda, two people familiar with the matter said, as part of his last-minute offensive against Tehran before handing over to the incoming Biden administration."
"With just eight days left in office for President Donald Trump, Pompeo is expected to offer details on allegations that Iran has given safe haven to Al Qaeda leaders and support for the group, the sources said, despite some skepticism within the intelligence community and Congress," according to Reuters. "It was not immediately clear how much Pompeo intends to reveal in his speech to the National Press Club in Washington."...