AMIA Case and Arrest Warrant Request for Khamenei; Iran Summons Argentine Chargé d'Affaires

A week after the Argentine prosecutor's request for an arrest warrant for Ali Khamenei in connection with the AMIA case, the Iranian Foreign Ministry announced the summoning of the Argentine chargé d'affaires. On Wednesday morning, April 27, the Iranian Foreign Ministry stated that the chargé d'affaires was summoned to the ministry and the "strong protest" of the Islamic Republic was communicated to him. Without specifying the timing of this summoning, the ministry noted that Eisa Kamali, the director general for the Americas, handed over a "note of protest" to the Argentine chargé d'affaires. Last Wednesday, an Argentine newspaper reported that Sebastián Baso, the prosecutor, had asked a federal judge to issue a national and international arrest warrant for the leader of the Islamic Republic on charges of involvement in the explosion at the AMIA Jewish center. The Iranian Foreign Ministry referred to the AMIA explosion as a "suspicious incident" and described the Argentine prosecutor's order regarding the Islamic Republic's leader as "another diversion in the long process of judicial investigations related to a suspicious incident." On July 18, 1994, an explosive-laden van exploded next to the Jewish community center in Buenos Aires, killing 85 people, injuring around 300, and turning the seven-story building into a pile of rubble. The AMIA explosion is considered the deadliest incident in Argentina's history, with a significant number of the casualties being non-Jewish citizens of the country. Sebastián Baso, the Argentine prosecutor, argued that Ali Khamenei is the "main supporter of groups like Hezbollah" and personally appointed the group's "Secretary General" as his representative in Lebanon. According to the Argentine newspaper Clarín, the prosecutor stated that the leader of the Islamic Republic "directed" the decision to explode in Buenos Aires and issued a "fatwa" for its execution. Eisa Kamali described the actions of the Argentine judiciary as a "clear contradiction of the fundamental principles and norms of international law" and characterized it as a factor of "tension in diplomatic relations between the two countries." The Argentine prosecutor noted in his order that the leader of the Islamic Republic is the "Commander-in-Chief of the Armed Forces" of Iran and controls the country's intelligence and military security operations. He also stated regarding Khamenei's immunity as a head of state: "Khamenei has no immunity regarding a crime with characteristics of terrorism and against humanity." Sebastián Baso has succeeded Alberto Nisman in this case, who was murdered in 2015 before testifying in the Argentine Congress about the government's cover-up of Iran's involvement in the AMIA attack.