Iran Lures Argentina into Trans-Atlantic Terror Axis

Tzvi Ben Gedalyahu

Iran is trying to spread its international terrorist axis by luring Argentina to join Venezuela in a trans-Atlantic terror axis, diplomats told Reuters.

The Latin American country’s links with Iran have been suspected ever since 1992, when Hizbullah claimed responsibility for killing 29 people in a bombing at the Israeli embassy in Buenos Aires.

Two years later, the bombing of the Jewish community center in the same city killed 85 people. More than a decade later, five Iranian terrorists and one from Lebanon were named as suspects in involvement in the attack.

Argentina all but broke ties with Iran after the bombing, but a European envoy told Reuters, "As the rest of us work to pressure Iran to end its nuclear weapons program and stop supporting terrorism, Argentina's government has been considering moving in the opposite direction," For example, exports from Argentine to Iran soared 70 percent last year. Ostensibly, Argentina is not on friendly terms with the Islamic Republic and last month even backed a United Nations human rights committee resolution condemning Tehran for violating human rights.

Argentina has not forgotten the 1994 bombing and wants Iran to investigate its part in the attack. Nevertheless, president Cristina Fernandez told the General Assembly that she is making an offer to renew dialogue with Iran, “an offer…that Iran cannot and should not turn down.”

An indication of Argentina’s good intentions towards Iran was its ambassador’s remaining in the UN General Assembly when Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad delivered his annual address in September. In the past, Argentina instructed its envoy to leave the hall when he spoke.

Iran already has formed a strong alliance with Venezuela, under the regime of Hugo Chavez, and Bolivia also is a close friend. Adding Argentina, which is a member of the International Energy Atomic Agency, would give Ahmadinejad more backing in his campaign to resist United Nations inspections of Iran’s nuclear facilities.

Iran’s rabid anti-Zionist regime is looking forward to closer relations with Argentine, which senior Iranian official Mohammed Javad Larjiani told Reuters ”have been the subject of Israeli sabotage.”

One factor holding back Argentina from a tight alliance with Iran is its worry of angering the United States, at least for the time being.