Do you remember the explosion at an Iranian mosque I commented on a month ago? Well it turns out that the explanation that was offered at the time by the Iranian authorities, that the explosion was of leftover exhibits from a commemoration of the war with Iraq, wasn’t credible, just as I intimated. The Iranian authorities themselves are denying it:
TEHRAN (Reuters) – Iran’s judiciary said on Monday it would file international lawsuits against the United States and Britain, accusing them of providing financial support to those behind a blast in a mosque that killed 14 people.
Iran’s intelligence minister last week said Iran had arrested five or six members of a terrorist group with links to Britain and the United States who he said were involved in the explosion that also wounded 200 in the southern city of Shiraz.
Iranian officials had previously said the April 12 blast, during an evening prayer sermon by a prominent local cleric, was caused by explosives left over from an exhibition commemorating the 1980-88 Iran-Iraq war.
Judiciary spokesman Ali-Reza Jamshidi told state television the terrorists behind the bombing were agents of the U.S. and British governments in Iran.
“The relationship of those who planted the bombs in Shiraz with the U.S. and Britain was identified and they were being financially supported and in fact they acted as foreign agents in Iran,” he said.
“In view of the documents obtained the judiciary in cooperation with the government and the Foreign Ministry will file lawsuits with international authorities against their supporters, who on the one hand claim to fight terrorists and on the other hand provide them with equipment,” he said.
I’ve got to admit that this whole matter baffles me. A month has passed and whatever physical evidence was available has no doubt been scoured clean. The only evidence there is now is what the plaintiff, the Iranian government, provides. I’m sure that, given the history of the Iranian regime, whatever questioning there has been of the alleged perpetrators of the bombing was done with complete compliance with international norms.
And wouldn’t being successful in this suit potentially be more dangerous for the Iranians than anything they might possibly gain? Iran’s ties to terrorist groups are public, admitted, and well known. In the wake of a successful case don’t you think the Israelis would haul the Iranians into court with dozens of cases? I don’t see how they could resist.
Curiouser and curiouser.
There is something missing from your argument:
There is no doubt in my mind that Iran has ties to Hezbollah, Hamas, etc (though I am sure of its extent). But it is a fact that Iran DOESN’T recognize such groups as terror groups and supports them.
On the other hand, United States, EU, and Canada (and most other countries), DO recognize Iranian opposition groups and separatists as terrorists, and yet support them: MeK is being protected by the US and Belgian forces in Camp Ashraf, UK/US fund Arab separatists and Baluchi terror group (Jondollah), and MeK members openly raise money and recruit young Iranians in Canadian street (I saw this with my own eyes), etc.
Amir, that’s changing the subject. As far as I’m concerned you’re free to post on the evils of the U. S. and Britain supporting terrorist groups on your own blog but that isn’t the subject of this post.
Amir’s inability to focus on the point of this blog entry as such is because we, as a country, are also unable to focus. It is easy to call the Iranians part of the axis of evil, terrorists, or whatever, but we have lost the ability to suggest, even weakly, that those we support in oppostion be soldiers in freedom. FDR tried to define it by listing the four freedoms as 1) freedom of speech, 2) freedom of religion, 3) freedom from fear, and 4) freedom from want. Now, of course, the leftists have turned it upside down and deny all other freedoms until freedom from want is attempted. I think it is much simpler than that. Our tax monies should ONLY go to organizations whose charter enshrines freedom of speech and religion as gifts from God, and also specify that the taxing arm of the government is up for election every two years… just like U.S.! A more perfect union. The ability to throw out the tax man IS freedom!!!