Iranian president Mahmoud Ahmadinejad submitted a list of cabinet nominees to the Iranian Majlis Wednesday. The proposed Minister of Defense is Ahmad Vahidi, a former Revolutionary Guard commander wanted by Interpol for his role in the 1994 bombing of a Jewish cultural center in Buenos Aires in which 85 people died and another 200 were injured
At that time Vahidi was commander of the Guards' Quds (Jerusalem) Force. The Force has been active outside Iran, supporting Hizballah through extensive training and funding. The Director of National Intelligence has testified before Congress that weapons the Quds Force smuggled into Iraq were responsible for the deaths of at least 170 Americans.
Most recently, Vahidi was deputy head of Iran's Ministry of Defense Armed Forces Logistics. In 2008 The European Union named him as someone involved in Iran's development of nuclear weapon delivery systems. EU member states are mandated to freeze any funds Vahidi holds in them and to prevent his entry or transit through their territories.
The Majlis, Iran's parliament, will vote on the cabinet list on August 30. The body's Vice-Speaker has stated that several on the list would be rejected. They are being criticized for lack of experience (The Speaker of the Majlis said, "A ministry is not a place for apprentices.") rather than any ties to terrorism. In this regard Vahidi seems well experienced.
At that time Vahidi was commander of the Guards' Quds (Jerusalem) Force. The Force has been active outside Iran, supporting Hizballah through extensive training and funding. The Director of National Intelligence has testified before Congress that weapons the Quds Force smuggled into Iraq were responsible for the deaths of at least 170 Americans.
Most recently, Vahidi was deputy head of Iran's Ministry of Defense Armed Forces Logistics. In 2008 The European Union named him as someone involved in Iran's development of nuclear weapon delivery systems. EU member states are mandated to freeze any funds Vahidi holds in them and to prevent his entry or transit through their territories.
The Majlis, Iran's parliament, will vote on the cabinet list on August 30. The body's Vice-Speaker has stated that several on the list would be rejected. They are being criticized for lack of experience (The Speaker of the Majlis said, "A ministry is not a place for apprentices.") rather than any ties to terrorism. In this regard Vahidi seems well experienced.
Source: IPT Blog
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