WASHINGTON, July 28, (Agencies): The United States on Wednesday announced sanctions on six men, including a Kuwait-based facilitator accused of operating a network which moves al-Qaeda operatives and money through Iran.
The US Treasury named Iran-based Ezedine Abdel Aziz Khalil, aka Yasin al-Sura, as a “senior al-Qaeda facilitator” who has operated from inside Iran since 2005 “under an agreement between al-Qaeda and the Iranian government.”
Khalil moves Qaeda money and recruits from across the Middle East through Iran and then to Pakistan “for the benefit of al-Qaeda senior leaders,” the Treasury said in a statement.
Pakistan-based Atiyah Abd al-Rahman, formerly al-Qaeda founder Osama bin Laden’s “emissary in Iran,” according to the Treasury, was also named on the list. Rahman is currently Qaeda’s overall commander in Pakistan’s tribal areas, it said.
Four others — Umid Muhammadi, Salim Hasan Khalifa Rashid al-Kuwari, Abdallah Ghanim Mafuz Muslim al-Khawar, and Ali Hasan Ali al-Ajmi — were also named as part the operation working through and in Iran, the Treasury said.

“This network serves as the core pipeline through which al-Qaeda moves money, facilitators and operatives from across the Middle East to South Asia,” it said.
The Treasury did not say where Muhammadi is based, but said he was a “key supporter” of al-Qaeda in Iraq.
It said Kuwari and Khawar are based in Qatar, while Ajmi is based in Kuwait.
The sanctions mean the American people and businesses are forbidden to engage in commercial of financial transactions with any of the men, and that any of their assets in the United States are frozen.
The Obama administration accused Iran on Thursday of entering into a “secret deal” with an al-Qaeda offshoot that provides money and recruits for attacks in Afghanistan and Pakistan sanctions.
The announcement was made despite disagreements in the US intelligence community about the extent of direct links between the Iranian government and al-Qaeda, officials said. Most analysts agree there is a murky relationship between the two and at least some cooperation.

Funds
David S. Cohen, Treasury’s point man for terrorism and financial intelligence, said Iran entered a “secret deal with al-Qaeda allowing it to funnel funds and operatives through its territory.” He provided no details of that agreement but said the sanctions seek to disrupt al-Qaeda’s work in Iraq and deny the terrorist group’s leadership much-needed support.
“Iran is the leading state sponsor of terrorism in the world today,” Cohen said in a statement. “We are illuminating yet another aspect of Iran’s unmatched support for terrorism.”
The action comes a day after the top US commander for special operations forces said al-Qaeda is bloodied and “nearing its end,” even as he warned that the next generation of militants could keep special operations fighting for a decade to come.
Navy SEAL Adm. Eric T. Olson said bin Laden’s killing on May 2 was a near-fatal blow for the organization created by bin Laden and led from his Pakistan hideout. He said the group already had lost steam because of the revolts of the Arab Spring, which proved the Muslim world did not need terrorism to bring down governments, from Tunisia to Egypt.