Former CIA Official Warns of Al-Qaeda Activity in Iran and Afghanistan, Urges US Pressure on Tehran and Taliban

Joe Zax, a recently retired former deputy director of the CIA's Counterterrorism Center, warned that the Al-Qaeda network continues to operate freely in Iran and Afghanistan.

In an article published Tuesday in The National Interest, Zax called on Washington to intensify pressure on the rulers of both countries to curb Al-Qaeda support, stating the U.S. should "bring them to their knees." He argued that the U.S. must address Iran's backing of Al-Qaeda alongside its nuclear file, asserting that "the Al-Qaeda terrorist network operates without fear from within the soil of Iran and Afghanistan. America must put severe pressure on the regimes of both countries to rein in this network."

Zax claimed Saif al-Adel, Al-Qaeda's current leader, lives under IRGC protection in Tehran. He said Iran has sheltered Al-Qaeda since 2001, facilitating the transfer of fighters and funds to Afghanistan and Syria. Zax highlighted close Taliban ties to Al-Qaeda and Iran, citing a February 15 statement by Taliban spokesperson Zabihullah Mujahid expressing readiness to cooperate with Iran if the U.S. attacks it.

Zax described this as evidence of long-term support from Tehran and Kabul for Al-Qaeda, which remains committed to attacks on the U.S. and West, with branches active in Yemen, Somalia, and Africa's Sahel region. He noted Iran-Taliban relations since the Taliban's 2021 return to power involve cooperation amid border and water disputes, with Tehran nearing formal recognition of the Taliban administration.

Zax referenced the 2020 Doha agreement, in which the Taliban pledged not to allow Al-Qaeda to operate against the U.S. from Afghan soil, but called these commitments "practically meaningless," pointing to the Taliban's sheltering of former Al-Qaeda leader Ayman al-Zawahiri in Kabul's Wazir Akbar Khan area. He accused the Taliban of ongoing practical and covert support, limited only to avoid U.S. drone strikes.

Zax, with over 42 years in the U.S. Army and CIA, urged pressing the weakened, isolated Taliban to fully implement Doha commitments and demanded Iran's extradition of Saif al-Adel. UN experts report al-Adel in Iran; recent sources told Afghanistan International he discussed temporarily relocating Al-Qaeda leadership to Afghanistan with Taliban leader Mullah Hibatullah in case of regime change in Iran.