Iran Rejects Argentina’s ‘Baseless’ Accusations in 1994 AMIA Case – Politics news

The Iranian Foreign Ministry issued a statement on early Friday, marking the 31st anniversary of the bombing of the Argentine Israeli Mutual Association (AMIA) building in Buenos Aires, which killed 85 people and wounded more than 300 others.

The ministry described the incident as “suspicious” and said that actors affiliated with the Zionist regime were steering the investigation away from the truth from the very outset.

“From the beginning, elements tied to the Zionist regime exploited the explosion to derail the investigation and damage Iran-Argentina relations,” the statement said.

It also noted that over the past three decades, Iran has repeatedly declared its position in condemnation of any act of terrorism and underlined the importance of a fair and transparent legal process in uncovering the real perpetrators.

 “Completely rejecting the accusations against its citizens, the Islamic Republic has condemned the insistence of certain domestic circles in Argentina to pressure the judiciary into making baseless charges and issuing politically influenced rulings,” the ministry added.

It stressed that the Islamic Republic continues to demand identification of the true masterminds behind the bombing.

The statement also cited “clear and undeniable” evidence in recent years indicating interference by the Zionist regime and its affiliated currents in Argentina’s judiciary.

It pointed to repeated changes in the investigative team, corruption scandals among judicial officials, resignations, and even assassination attempts against judges as signs of a systematic effort to derail a credible investigation.

In the interest of protecting bilateral ties and securing justice, Iran had entered into negotiations with Argentina, which led to the signing of a memorandum of understanding in 2013.

However, the ministry noted that Argentina unilaterally annulled the agreement less than two years later, blocking the formation of a joint truth-seeking mechanism 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.

The ministry concluded by affirming Iran’s right, under international law, to respond to any hostile or unjust action targeting the country or its nationals.