Iran Denies 3 Senior al-Qaida Figures Are Based in Country

TEHRAN, Iran (AP) —
Iranian President Hassan Rouhani speaks during a press conference in Tehran, Iran, Saturday, Aug. 29, 2015. Rouhani said Saturday he opposed a parliamentary vote on the landmark nuclear deal reached with world powers, saying terms of the agreement will turn into legal obligation if it is passed by the house. (AP Photo/Ebrahim Noroozi)
Iranian President Hassan Rouhani. (AP Photo/Ebrahim Noroozi)

Iran is denying claims by Washington that three senior al-Qaida figures are based in the Persian country.

Foreign Ministry spokesman Bahram Ghasemi told the official IRNA news agency on Tuesday that Iran doesn’t have “any information about their presence on its soil.” Ghasemi reiterated Iran’s commitment to fighting terrorism.

The Obama administration last week slapped sanctions on the three, saying they are based in Iran, which it accused of helping transfer money and terrorists from South Asia to the Mideast. The move froze any assets they may have in U.S. jurisdictions and barred Americans from doing business with them.

Saudi national Faisal Jassim Mohammed al-Amri al-Khalidi, Egyptian national Yisra Muhammad Ibrahim Bayumi and Algerian national Abu Bakr Muhammad Muhammad Ghumayn were identified as “specially designated global terrorists.”

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