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WASHINGTON D.C. – The Obama administration accused Iran on Thursday of entering into a secret deal with an al Qaeda offshoot that provides money and recruits for attacks in Afghanistan and Pakistan. The Treasury Department designated six members of the unit as terrorists subject to U.S. sanctions, AP reported.

The U.S. intelligence community has in the past disagreed about the extent of direct links between the Iranian government and al Qaeda. Thursday's allegations went further than what most analysts had previously said was a murky relationship with limited cooperation.

David S. Cohen, Treasury's point man for terrorism and financial intelligence, said Iran entered a "secret deal with al Qaeda allowing it to funnel funds and operatives through its territory." He didn't provide any details of that agreement, but said the sanctions seek to disrupt al Qaeda's work in Iraq and deny the terrorist group's leadership much-needed support.

"Iran is the leading state sponsor of terrorism in the world today," Cohen said in a statement. "We are illuminating yet another aspect of Iran's unmatched support for terrorism."

Treasury said the exposure of the clandestine agreement would disrupt al Qaeda operations by shedding light on Iran's role as a "critical transit point" for money and extremists reaching Pakistan and Afghanistan.

The action comes a day after the top U.S. commander for special operations forces said al Qaeda is bloodied and "nearing its end," even as he warned that the next generation of militants could keep special operations fighting for a decade to come.

Navy SEAL Adm. Eric T. Olson said Osama bin Laden's killing on May 2 was a near-fatal blow for the organization.