US investigates Qatar over finances Iran’s Revolutionary Guards Corps
The State Department has opened an inquiry into an
Israeli government report that Qatar’s monarchy funded Iran’s Islamic
Revolutionary Guard Corps, a U.S.-designated terrorist organization.
“We are looking into the allegations,” a State Department
spokesman told the Washington Examiner earlier this month, adding that “Qatar
and the United States have a robust strategic, security, and counterterrorism
partnership. Qatar is one of the United States's closest military allies in the
region. U.S.-Qatar military and security cooperation contributes to the safety
and stability of the region.”
The alleged terror finance activities of the Islamic
regime in Doha surfaced during last month’s Oval Office meeting between
President Joe Biden and outgoing Israeli President Reuven Rivlin.
Rivlin furnished the White House with intelligence
regarding “recent funding that Qatar provided to Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary
Guard Corps,” the Times of Israel reported, citing an Israel diplomatic
official speaking on the condition of anonymity. The person also added that the
information alarmed the U.S. officials at the meeting.
The Washington Examiner contacted multiple Israeli government
ministries, including the foreign ministry, that all remained quiet on the
issue. Israeli governments, as a general rule, summarily dismiss false news
reports. The lack of a denial suggests that the intelligence is serious and was
indeed forwarded to the Biden administration.
Secretary of State Antony Blinken on Thursday met with
Qatar’s Deputy Prime Minister and Foreign Minister Mohammed bin Abdulrahman al
Thani and discussed the crises affecting Afghanistan, Yemen, and Lebanon. The
Qatari foreign minister supported U.S. calls to promote “peace and security.”
The Persian language service of the U.S.-operated Voice
of America news organization confirmed via a second source that Israel
submitted intelligence to Biden about Qatar’s financing of the IRGC.
The Quds Force, a branch of the IRGC largely responsible
for terrorist operations outside Iran, has killed over 600 American military
personnel in the Middle East.
Its leader, Qasem Soleimani, was killed by a U.S. drone
strike in Iraq in January 2020. Esmail Qaani was appointed to lead the
organization following Soleimani's death.
The Washington Examiner asked for comment from Qatar’s
foreign ministry and its embassies in Washington and Berlin.
Rivlin’s White House meeting coincided with a U.S. Army statement,
reported by Stars and Stripes, that “the U.S. has closed sprawling bases in
Qatar that once stored warehouses full of weaponry and transferred the
remaining supplies to Jordan, in a move that analysts say positions Washington
to deal better with Iran and reflects the military’s changing priorities in the
region.”
The U.S. closed Army Camp As Sayliyah-Main, Camp As
Sayliyah-South, and the Falcon ammunition depot, the military news outlet said.
The tiny monarchy of Qatar, rich from natural gas and
oil, has been embroiled in allegations that it has financed a wide range of
Sunni and Shia terrorist states and movements, including Hezbollah in Lebanon
and the Islamic State.
The fresh allegations from Rivlin may create new tensions
between Qatar and the U.S., which has nearly 10,000 military personnel
stationed at the Gulf state’s al Udeid Air Base.
The Biden administration is once again confronted with a
crisis with Qatar because the monarchy ruled by Emir Sheikh Tamim bin Hamad al
Thani has been repeatedly alleged to finance Islamic-animated terrorist
movements that seek to kill Americans.
Qatar’s status as an alleged leading state sponsor of
international terrorism might also complicate its role in hosting the World Cup
in 2022.
