Argentina Seeks Arrest of Iran’s Supreme Leader Over 1994 Bombing
Argentina has formally requested the arrest of Iran’s Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei over his alleged role in the 1994 bombing of the AMIA Jewish community center in Buenos Aires. In a landmark move detailed by reporter Gabriel Colodro, federal prosecutor Sebastián Basso filed for international warrants against Khamenei and 10 other Iranian officials, accusing them of planning the attack that killed 85 people. The action is made possible by a new Argentine law allowing terrorism cases to be tried in absentia.
The bombing of the Argentine Israelite Mutual Association remains the deadliest terrorist act in the country’s history. For nearly 30 years, the case has gone unresolved, with no convictions. Basso told The Media Line the decision was political, not religious: “A year before the bombing, the highest authorities of Iran made the decision in a meeting presided by Khamenei.”
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The case relies on longstanding evidence, including a 1993 meeting in Mashhad where Khamenei allegedly issued a directive authorizing the attack. Families of the victims, including activist Luis Czyzewski, welcomed the move. “Even if the guilty are never extradited, exposing Iran before the world as a state sponsor of terrorism has immense symbolic and legal weight,” he said.
The filing also sheds light on Hezbollah’s logistical operations in South America, particularly in the tri-border area of Argentina, Brazil, and Paraguay. While international trials would require further government action, Basso said Argentina is laying the legal foundation.
To understand how a decades-old case could reshape legal and diplomatic norms, read Colodro’s full report at The Media Line.
