Joining forces?

Recent moves by Iran favoring al-Qaida have caught the attention of American officials.

With their common anti-Americanism, the two groups would seem to be natural allies, but that has not been the case with their religious differences. Iran, which is predominantly Shiite Muslim, supports Shiite extremists in Iraq against Sunni Muslims, who are the minority there. Al-Qaida, though, is Sunni Muslim.

Some high level al-Qaida leaders fled to Iran after the U.S. invasion of Afghanistan in 2001. After a 2003 al-Qaida attack in Saudi Arabia, Iran put a five-member al-Qaida “management council” under house arrest, but allowed them some movement and freedom to conduct business. The operatives, including a son-in-law of Osama bin Laden, were allowed to communicate with other operatives and transfer funds to al-Qaida groups in Pakistan.

Now, the Wall Street Journal reports, some U.S. officials believe Iran has granted the top five operatives greater freedom and even offered to let them leave the country, although it is unclear where they would go. Iran may also have provided al-Qaida with logistical help, money and cars.

The possible cooperation comes at a time of heightened tensions between the United States and Iran over its nuclear weapons program. Director of National Intelligence James Clapper has warned that Iran might be willing to consider attacks on the United States. Greater cooperation would also benefit al-Qaida. Many of its top leaders have been killed in U.S. attacks.

“For al-Qaida, it’s one of their best hopes of reviving themselves,” Bruce Hoffman an al-Qaida specialist at Georgetown University, told the Journal.

But there are skeptics, who question Iran’s willingness to let al-Qaida base attacks from its territory. The Iranians may fear that such a move would invite U.S. retaliation. One U.S. official said there is “not significant information to suggest a working relationship between Iran and al-Qaida.”

“Al-Qaida moving fighters or money is one thing, while planning major terrorist attacks against the West from Iranian soil is probably something (Iran) won’t allow,” said another official.

The United States, though, needs to remain vigilant lest the mutual dislikes overcome their differences in uniting al-Qaida and Iran.