U.S. imposes sanctions on senior al-Qaida members in Iran

The United States on Wednesday announced sanctions on three senior al-Qaida members in Iran, in a move to disrupt the terror group's operations and support networks.

The three members include Faisal Jassim Mohammed Al-Amri Al-Khalidi, Yisra Muhammad Ibrahim Bayumi, and Abu Bakr Muhammad Muhammad Ghumayn, the U.S. Treasury Department said in a statement.

They were accused of being "responsible for moving money and weapons across the Middle East," it said.

"Today, the U.S. Department of the Treasury took action to disrupt the operations, fundraising, and support networks that help al-Qaida move money and operatives from South Asia and across the Middle East by imposing sanctions on three al-Qaida senior members located in Iran," the statement said.

Al-Khalidi is a senior al-Qaida official and part of a new generation of al-Qaida operatives, who participated in the annual al-Qaida Council meeting in May 2015 as al-Qaida Military Commission Chief.

Bayumi, a veteran al-Qaida member since at least 2006, was reportedly involved in freeing al-Qaida members in Iran, while serving as a mediator with Iranian authorities.

Ghumayn is also a senior al-Qaida leader who controls the financing and organization of al-Qaida members located in Iran.

The Treasury Department remains committed to targeting al-Qaida's terrorist activity and denying its critical support networks access to the international financial system, said Adam Szubin, acting under secretary of treasury for terrorism and financial intelligence. Enditem