Tehran rejects US claims that Al-Qaida leader based in Iran

TEHRAN - Iranian foreign minister on Thursday denied the US claims that an al-Qaida leader is "based in Iran", slamming such allegations as a "failed Iranophobia game".

Hossein Amir-Abdollahian made the remarks in a Twitter post, in response to the US State Department's claim on Wednesday that it "aligned with the assessments that al-Qaida leader Seif al-Adel is based in Iran".

"I advise the White House to stop the failed Iranophobia game. Linking al-Qaida to Iran is patently absurd and baseless," Amir-Abdollahian added.

He called on the US government to also stop giving "false address", noting that those who created al-Qaida and the Islamic State must be held accountable for spreading terrorism worldwide.

In 1998, a US federal grand jury charged Adel with having a role in the bombing of the US embassies in Tanzania and Kenya, which killed 224 people and wounded over 5,000 others.