Tehran has dismissed “baseless” accusations leveled by Argentine at Iranian nationals in connection with the deadly 1994 AMIA bombing, urging the country’s judiciary to handle the case fairly without third-party influence.
The Iranian Foreign Ministry issued a statement on Friday, marking the 31th anniversary of the bombing attack on the Argentine Israeli Mutual Association (AMIA) community centre in Buenos Aires on July 18, 1994, that killed 85 people and injured over 300 others.
It said that elements and currents linked to Israel exploited the “suspicious” explosion from the very beginning and diverted the case into a misleading and incorrect path, disrupting the longstanding Iran-Argentine relations.
It also noted that over the past three decades, Iran has repeatedly declared its position in condemnation of any act of terrorism and stressed the need for a transparent and fair trial into the incident.
“Completely rejecting the accusations against its citizens, the Islamic Republic has condemned the insistence of certain domestic circles in Argentine to pressure the country’s judicial system into issuing baseless charges and seemingly judicial rulings against Iranian citizens,” it said. “Iran has called for the real masterminds and perpetrators of the explosion to be identified.”
Meanwhile, the Foreign Ministry added that in the past years, clear and undeniable evidence has emerged indicating that the Zionist regime and its affiliated currents are exerting influence and pressure on the Argentinean judicial system to make accusations against Iranians.
It further highlighted frequent changes in the judicial team investigating the AMIA case, the revelation of corruption among some judicial elements, the resignation of judges and even attempts on their lives, as an evidence of a “purposeful will to divert the Argentinean judicial system from a transparent and fair probe into the case.”
With the sole aim of protecting bilateral ties and restoring the dignity of Iranian citizens, the Islamic Republic entered into talks with Argentine, which resulted in the signing of a memorandum of understanding in 2013, the ministry said. Less than two years later, however, Buenos Aires unilaterally canceled the deal and prevented the formation of a transparent process aimed at revealing the truth and identifying those behind the blast.
“The Islamic Republic strongly emphasizes the baseless nature of claims against Iranian citizens, insists on the restoration of the accused citizens’ dignity and demands an end to the show trial, while expecting the Argentinean judicial authorities to handle the case in a transparent and fair manner free from politicization and undue influence by third parties,” it asserted.
“In accordance with international law, the Islamic Republic reserves its legal and legitimate rights to respond to any inappropriate and unreasonable action against itself and its citizens.”
