Argentina Pursues Agreement on 'Interrogation of Iranians Accused in AMIA Bombing'

On Wednesday, March 4, the Argentine government emphasized in a one-page statement published in domestic newspapers that the delayed agreement with Iran remains the best way to clarify the facts surrounding the deadly bombing in 1994 at the Jewish center in Buenos Aires. According to Reuters from Buenos Aires, a federal court in Argentina suspended a controversial agreement last year that allowed agents of the country to interrogate Iranian suspects. The Iranian government has denied involvement in the bombing, which left 85 victims, and has also refused to extradite its citizens. Since the beginning of this year and the suspicious death of Alberto Nisman, a well-known Argentine prosecutor, investigations into the AMIA bombing case have once again captured public attention in the country. Nisman was found dead in his apartment with a bullet wound to his head four days after accusing President Cristina Fernández of attempting to obstruct the investigation. In the statement, printed with a blue border resembling the national flag, the Argentine government said, 'The approval of the steps taken by the executive branch and the national congress is possible through a memorandum of understanding, which allows us to interrogate Iranian suspects.' The statement further noted, 'This situation puts Argentina in a better position for the extradition of suspects and negotiations regarding their trial in a third country compared to Iran and the international community.' The accused in the AMIA bombing include several high-ranking officials of the Islamic Republic of Iran. A federal court in Argentina deemed the mentioned memorandum unconstitutional last year, but the government stated it would appeal the court's decision. The appeal has not yet been filed. Alberto Nisman, the main investigator of the 1994 AMIA bombing case, accused the president of the country in January of covering up Tehran's involvement in the incident to maintain relations and oil contracts with Iran. Nisman was found dead in his apartment a day before he was scheduled to present evidence related to his accusations against the president in Congress. This scandal has sparked a wave of new accusations and a political crisis that has tarnished the legitimacy and credibility of the Argentine government. Last week, an Argentine judge dismissed the accusations as baseless, stating that contrary to Nisman’s claims, evidence shows the government has shown utmost cooperation during the investigation. In Wednesday's statement, the government simultaneously expresses doubts about Nisman’s motives while affirming its actions. Part of the statement reads, 'Can any hypothesis other than creating political instability be imagined for his actions?' The Argentine government claims that Nisman’s accusations are part of a plan to discredit the president and attempt a coup. Argentina has witnessed six coups in the past century. In this context, Argentine prosecutors stated that Judge Nisman had prepared an arrest warrant for Kirchner, who was officially accused of covering up Iran's role in the AMIA bombing. Key points regarding the 'scandal' of Alberto Nisman’s death include protests by tens of thousands in Buenos Aires related to Nisman’s murder, the dissolution of Argentina's intelligence and security organization following Nisman’s death, and a federal court in Argentina rejecting accusations against the country's president.