Argentinian President Calls Iranian Government 'Terrorist' and Promises Justice in AMIA Case

Javier Milei, the President of Argentina, labeled the Iranian government as 'terrorist' during the 30th anniversary of the 1994 bombing at the AMIA Jewish community center in Buenos Aires. He pledged to end 'decades of inaction and lack of follow-up' regarding the investigation into the attack. The explosion of a van carrying explosives next to the AMIA building on July 18, 1994, killed 85 people, injured around 300, and reduced the seven-story building to rubble. Many of the victims were non-Jewish Argentine citizens. In a speech on Wednesday, July 25, Milei stated, 'Today we decided to speak, not to remain silent. We raise our voices, not to sit idly by. We choose life, because anything else means welcoming death.' In April, Argentina's Supreme Criminal Court held Iran responsible for the attack, stating it was carried out by Hezbollah militants as part of Iran's 'political and strategic design.' Right-wing Milei, a staunch supporter of the Jewish community and Israel, mentioned he would propose a bill for a trial in absentia for the suspects of this attack. He also announced that his government would strengthen the national intelligence system to prevent similar attacks and allocate more resources for investigating the AMIA incident. Argentine prosecutors have accused several current and former high-ranking Iranian officials and Hezbollah of ordering this bombing and the 1992 attack on the Israeli embassy in Argentina, which resulted in 22 deaths. Milei remarked, 'Although they (the suspects) may never serve their sentences, they cannot escape the eternal condemnation of a court that proves their guilt before the entire world.' He described the Supreme Court's ruling in April as 'a huge step' towards justice in the AMIA case, stating that more actions are necessary due to the 'cover-up by the terrorist Iranian government.' The Islamic Republic has denied involvement in the bombing and has refused to extradite suspects to Argentina for trial. Previous investigations and Interpol arrest warrants for the suspects have not yielded results. A court in Argentina recognized Tehran's responsibility for the deadly attack on the Israeli embassy and the AMIA center. Based on requests from Argentine legal entities, Interpol issued international arrest warrants in 2007 for Mohsen Rabbani and Ahmad Reza Asghari, two senior members of the Iranian embassy in Buenos Aires at the time. These warrants are still valid, with accusations of field assistance against them. Interpol also issued warrants for Ali Akbar Velayati, Mohsen Rezaei, Ahmad Vahidi, and Ali Fallahian. At that time, Velayati was the foreign minister, Rezaei was the commander of the IRGC, Vahidi was the commander of the IRGC Quds Force, and Fallahian was the minister of intelligence. Vahidi is currently the Minister of Interior of the Islamic Republic. Last week, the President of Argentina declared the extremist group Hamas a terrorist organization due to its attack on southern Israel on October 7 of last year. Hamas is also listed as a terrorist organization by the United States and the European Union. In his remarks on Wednesday, Milei compared Hamas's attack on Israel to the 1994 AMIA bombing and urged the Palestinian group to release all hostages in its custody, including eight Argentinians.