Russia’s Foreign Ministry spokeswoman Maria Zakharova

Russia has rejected the United States’ fresh allegations of link between Iran and the al-Qaeda militant group that launched the September 11, 2001 attacks, describing the Islamic Republic as a victim of terrorism and a pioneer in the counter-terror battle.

Speaking to IRNA news agency on Saturday, Russian Foreign Ministry spokeswoman Maria Zakharova said there is a lot of evidence suggesting Iran’s serious fight against terrorist groups, for example those operating in Syria and Iraq.

On Tuesday, US Secretary of State Mike Pompeo used his last days in office to accuse Iran, without any evidence, of being the al-Qaeda’s new home base, and said the claims were part of, what he called, publicizing declassified US intelligence.

Iran is the new Afghanistan, Pompeo alleged at a news conference in Washington. Unlike in Afghanistan, when al-Qaeda was hiding in the mountains, al-Qaeda today is operating under the hard shell of the Iranian regime’s protection.

Tehran said the baseless accusations show Washington’s frustration and the failure of its so-called maximum pressure campaign against Iran.

Iran’s Foreign Minister Mohammad Javad Zarif dismissed the allegations as warmongering lies, pointing out to close ties between the administration of US President Donald Trump and Saudi Arabia, the home country of most of the 9/11 terrorists.

No one is fooled, he tweeted. All 9/11 terrorists came from @SecPompeo’s favorite ME destinations; NONE from Iran.

Elsewhere in her remarks, Zakharova said that according to available evidence, Iran is itself a victim of terrorism and among the pioneers in the fight against terrorist outfits.

The Islamic Republic is an honest country in the fight against terrorism, she noted, adding that there no information on Tehran’s possible links to al-Qaeda.

US officials are silent on Iran’s effective battle against terrorists, and their approach shows a smear campaign against Tehran, Zakharova emphasized.

Pompeo’s claims came despite American authorities’ acknowledgement of Washington’s role in creating terrorist groups in the region, including al-Qaeda and Daesh.

Pakistan: World doesn’t believe Pompeo’s anti-Iran accusations

On Friday, Pakistani Prime Minister Imran Khan stressed that the top US diplomat’s claims about Iran’s ties with al-Qaeda are not credible and that the world does not accept them.

Pompeo has basically reached the end of the line and the term of the current US administration has ended, he said in an interview with Pakistan’s BOL News.

There is no doubt that the US secretary of state is leveling baseless accusations against Iran in a bid to appease Israel or gain the Zionist lobby’s support in preparation for the 2024 elections, Khan added.

Throughout the region, only Israel wants to weaken Iran, Imran Khan underlined. No country like Iran is standing on its own feet, thus the United States is trying to create unrest there after Syria and Iraq, he noted.