Secretary of State Mike Pompeo says that the Islamic Republic was definitely tied to Al Qaeda and involved in the murder of at least 600 American troops.

According to France News Agency, although Pompeo accused Iran of ties with Al Qaeda, he did not clarify whether this fact gives Trump the legal permission for a military attack on Iran or not.

On Wednesday, while attending a meeting with the Senate foreign affairs committee, Pompeo was asked by Senator Rand Paul whether the 2001 authorization by the Congress for use of force against governments or organizations involved in the 9/11 attacks, can be extended to the Islamic Republic and the Revolutionary Guard or not. To which Secretary Pompeo responded that he would rather legal experts answer that question.

According to Pompeo, there is no doubt that Iran has hosted Al-Qaeda, and permitted Al-Qaeda to transit the country.

Pompeo also talked about the U.S position that there is no doubt that Iran was involved with the murder of at least 600 American soldiers, and according to Pompeo, putting the name of Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) on the list of terrorist groups is just a statement of this fact, and that the United States has done what it normally does against any other terrorist group.

In an interview on Tuesday, Pompeo told Fox News that in his opinion, Qasem Soleimani, the commander of IRGC’s Quds Force (International Arm of IRGC) is equal to Abubakr Al-Baghdadi, the leader of ISIS. He added: “He is a terrorist. His hands are soaked in the blood of Americans. America has a duty to find any person or organization that takes the lives of Americans. This is President Trump’s duty.”