Argentina Requests Extradition of Ali Akbar Velayati, Khamenei's Advisor, from Iraq

The Argentine government has once again requested the extradition of former Iranian Foreign Minister and current advisor to Ayatollah Khamenei, Ali Akbar Velayati, in connection with the 1994 bombing at the Jewish Community Center in Buenos Aires. According to a Reuters report, Velayati, whose name is on Interpol's list, is currently in Iraq, prompting Argentina to ask Baghdad to take action for his extradition. Although given the close ties between the Iraqi government and the Islamic Republic, and Iran's influence in the country, it seems unlikely that Velayati is at risk of extradition, Argentina may intend to demonstrate that this case remains open and will continue to be so. The report cites the Argentine Ministry of Justice, stating that Judge Rodolfo Canicoba, the investigator of the case, requested Baghdad to act for his arrest and extradition after learning through international media that Velayati had traveled to Iraq. Earlier this year, Argentina also requested Singapore and Malaysia to hand him over following his visits to those countries. Argentine investigators have accused Velayati and four former Iranian officials, including former President Ali Akbar Hashemi Rafsanjani, of involvement in the 1994 bombing of the AMIA Jewish community center in Argentina. They allege that former Iranian officials ordered the Lebanese militant group Hezbollah to carry out the bombing. The AMIA explosion is referred to as the deadliest terrorist attack in South American history, resulting in 85 deaths and over 300 injuries. The Islamic Republic has consistently denied the involvement of its officials in this incident, and Velayati called it a lie in an interview with Argentine television last year. This incident has also become a significant political controversy in Argentina. Just four days after Alberto Nisman, the investigating judge of the AMIA case, accused then-President Cristina Kirchner of colluding with Iran to cover up the matter, his body was discovered. His death raised serious suspicions about Kirchner in Argentina, although she insists that her government had no connection to Nisman's murder. Meanwhile, investigations into Alberto Nisman's death continue.