"The US and the Zionists developed the strategy of the September 11 attacks in an effort to counter the Islamic vigilance and to control energy resources in the Middle East," IRNA quoted Brigadier General Yahya Rahim-Safavi as saying on Saturday.
He further added that al-Qaeda and its leader Osama bin Laden did not possess the essential intelligence capacity anywhere near the level of CIA, Pentagon and the FBI in order to conduct the surprise attacks against sensitive centers in the United States on September 11.
According to General Rahim-Safavi, heads of Israel's Mossad and the US played roles in the event.
"The September 11 attacks in the US and the shameful act of Qur'an burning by the US and Zionist regime (Israel) were in line with Islamophobia efforts by enemies of Islam who have fears over the spread of Islam and the Islamic vigilance," he further explained.
The Iranian commander also pointed out that the US and certain Western countries invaded Iraq and Afghanistan, a move that proved security is not sustainable in the world.
Moreover, General Rahim-Safavi pointed to the high potentials of Muslim countries and predicted that the Muslim world with its unique features and capabilities will turn into a premier and important power center of the world in the near future.
In his address to the UN General Assembly on Thursday, Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad said the US took advantage of the 'suspicious' September 11 incidents to justify its destructive occupation of Afghanistan and Iraq that cost many thousands of innocent lives.
The Iranian chief executive went on to raise serious questions about the credibility of the US government's account of the 9/11 attacks, suggesting that "a very powerful and complex terrorist group, able to successfully cross all layers of the American intelligence and security, carried out the attacks.”
