Argentinian Prosecutor Calls for Arrest Warrant for Khamenei Over AMIA Bombing

An Argentinian newspaper reported that Sebastián Baso, the prosecutor of the country, has requested a federal judge to issue a national and international arrest warrant for Ali Khamenei, the leader of the Islamic Republic, on charges of involvement in the AMIA bombing. The newspaper 'Clarin' on Wednesday, April 8, quoted a letter from the prosecutor of the AMIA case, which states that Khamenei 'directed the decision to bomb Buenos Aires on July 18, 1994' and issued a 'fatwa' for its execution. The bombing of a van carrying explosives next to the AMIA building, the center of Jewish activities in Buenos Aires, on July 18, 1994, killed 85 people, injured about 300, and turned the seven-story building into a pile of rubble. A large number of the dead and injured were non-Jewish Argentine citizens. The AMIA bombing is considered the deadliest incident in Argentina's history. Sebastián Baso, the Attorney General of Argentina, argued that Khamenei is the 'main supporter of groups like Hezbollah' and personally appointed its 'Secretary-General' as his representative in Lebanon. Hezbollah is listed as a terrorist organization by the United States. Javier Milei, calling the Iranian government 'terrorist,' promised to deliver justice in the AMIA case. Argentinian prosecutors had previously accused several current and former high-ranking Iranian officials and Hezbollah of involvement in the AMIA bombing and the 1992 attack on the Israeli embassy in Argentina, which resulted in 22 deaths. Mr. Baso pointed out that 'everything in Iran, whether related to foreign policy or the use of force, depends on Khamenei's decision.' He further argued: 'The Iranian Constitution in Article 110 states that the leadership is responsible for determining the general policies of the country, overseeing the proper implementation of those policies, issuing a vote for referendums, and granting pardons or reductions of sentences.' The Argentinian prosecutor added that the leader of the Islamic Republic 'is also the commander-in-chief of the armed forces and controls military intelligence and security operations, as well as having the authority to declare war or peace and mobilize the armed forces.' Regarding Khamenei's immunity as a leader of a country, he stated that 'Khamenei does not have 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 Argentinian Congress about the government's cover-up of Iran's involvement in the AMIA attack. The New York Times reported at that time that Nisman had prepared an arrest warrant for Cristina Fernández de Kirchner, the then-President of Argentina, accusing her of colluding with Iranian officials to cover up Tehran's involvement in the bombing. A court in Argentina recognized Tehran's responsibility for the deadly attack on the Israeli embassy and the AMIA center. The Islamic Republic government has denied involvement in this bombing and has refused to hand over suspects to Argentina for trial. Previous investigations and Interpol's arrest warrants for the suspects have also led nowhere. Based on requests from Argentinian legal entities, Interpol issued an international arrest warrant 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. Their charges were field assistance. Interpol also issued arrest warrants for Ali Akbar Velayati, Mohsen Rezaei, Ahmad Vahidi, and Ali Fallahian. Velayati was the foreign minister at that time, Rezaei was the commander of the IRGC, Vahidi was the commander of the Quds Force, and Fallahian was the minister of intelligence. Mr. Vahidi was the Minister of Interior in Ebrahim Raisi's government. Javier Milei, the President of Argentina, on July 16 last year, coinciding with the 30th anniversary of the bombing at 'AMIA,' called the Iranian government 'terrorist' and promised to end 'decades of inaction and lack of investigation' regarding this attack.