Argentinian Jews Reject Dialogue with Iran to Investigate AMIA Bombing

On Friday, July 26, Argentinian Jews once again rejected the Argentinian government's plan to cooperate with Iran in the investigations related to the bombing of the Jewish center in the country. The Associated Press reported that Ariel Cohen, president of the Federation of Jewish Communities in Argentina, stated at a memorial ceremony held at the rebuilt site of the bombing: "We ask the Argentinian government to courageously intensify its requests and actions to create the conditions for the trial of Iranian officials involved in this matter." The Argentinian government reached an agreement with Iran in 2013 to resolve this case. However, the Jewish community has criticized this agreement, stating that the Islamic Republic has not brought the accused to justice. The bombing of the Jewish center in Buenos Aires, the capital of Argentina, occurred in 1994, killing 85 people. Investigations into this bombing have yet to yield results, although Argentina and Interpol have identified senior Iranian officials at the time, such as Akbar Hashemi Rafsanjani, Ali Akbar Velayati, Ali Fallahian, and several members of the Quds Force as responsible for the incident and issued international arrest warrants for them. Families of the victims held a ceremony on Friday to mark the twenty-first anniversary of the bombing. Meanwhile, the Argentinian parliament has approved the formation of a joint investigative commission between Iran and Argentina, but it has not yet been implemented as two Argentinian courts deemed it unconstitutional, and the matter is currently under review. Ariel Cohen further stated, "We have made agreements with the murderers." Alberto Nisman, a senior prosecutor in Argentina who was investigating this case, accused Argentinian President Cristina Fernández of supporting the Iranian officials accused in this case just days before his body was found in his home on January 18, 2015. Federal judges in Argentina have rejected these accusations against the president. Ariel Cohen called on Argentinian officials to resolve the "mysterious incidents" surrounding Alberto Nisman's death and criticized the government's "severe verbal attacks" against him. Responsible officials have yet to clarify the cause of Alberto Nisman's death, and various conspiracy theories regarding the manner of his death have been proposed. Some believe Nisman committed suicide because he knew his accusations against the Argentinian president lacked sufficient evidence. Others believe he was murdered because he posed a threat to the governments of Argentina and Iran. Some senior Iranian officials have been wanted by Interpol for years for their alleged involvement in this bombing, but Argentinian judges have never been able to interrogate them. The Islamic Republic has always denied involvement in this bombing.