Argentina Finaly Gets It And Halts Trade With Iran
The 1994 blast is the worst terror attack in Argentina’s history.
December 2, 2008
The government of Argentina says it is suspending commercial activity with Iran, worth more than $1bn (£670,000).
The move comes because of differences over an investigation into the 1994 bomb attack on a Jewish cultural centre in Buenos Aires that killed 85 people.
No one has ever been convicted for the attack, but Argentina has asked for the extradition of five Iranian officials.
President Cristina Fernandez de Kirchner is due to meet with members of the American Jewish Committee shortly.
At the top of their agenda is the investigation into the bomb attack on the Jewish-Argentine Mutual Association (AMIA) centre - in which 300 people were injured in addition to the dozens killed.
The Argentine authorities believe the attack was carried out by the Lebanese Islamic movement, Hezbollah, with the backing of the then Iranian government.
They have asked for the extradition of five leading Iranian politicians and diplomats in office at the time, including former Iranian President Akbar Hashemi Rafsanjani.
Both Iran and Hezbollah have denied any part in the attack.
The blast, on 18 July 1994, reduced the seven-storey AMIA centre to rubble.
Over the years, the case has been marked by rumours of cover-ups and accusations of incompetence, but little in the way of hard evidence.
A 1992 bombing of the Israeli embassy in Buenos Aires, which killed 29 people, also remains unsolved.
The AJC is an international body that aims to safeguard Jewish communities around the world.
Argentina has the largest Jewish community in Latin America.
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