Osama Deputy Says Iran Lying About 9/11

Al-Qaeda's No. 2 leader says Iran is denying the terrorist group credit for 9/11 by spreading the rumor that Israel masterminded the 2001 attacks on the US. A new audiotape from Ayman al-Zawahiri highlights the growing tension between al-Qaeda and Tehran, the BBC reports, evidence of a sectarian struggle for power in the region.

“The purpose of this lie is clear—[to suggest] that there are no heroes among the Sunnis who can hurt America as no-one else did in history,” said Zawahiri. He also knocked Shia-dominated Iran for collaborating with the US, and accused Tehran of spreading lies to “cover up its involvement with America in invading the homes of Muslims in Afghanistan and Iraq.”