The Organization of American States (OAS) has passed a resolution condemning Nicaragua in response to the visit to that country of a senior Iranian government official who is said to have been involved in the 1994 bombing of the AMIA Jewish center in Buenos Aires.
Last week, Argentina’s Foreign Ministry said that the appearance of Mohsen Rezaei, the Iranian vice president for economic affairs, at the investiture of Nicaragua’s President Daniel Ortega on January 10 was “an affront to Argentine justice and to the victims of the brutal terrorist attack″ in the Argentine capital, the Associated Press reported.
On Wednesday, 22 member states of the OAS voted in favor of a strongly worded resolution condemning Rezai’s visit to Nicaragua.
The resolution was put forward by Argentina and the United States, both of which had soundly criticized Rezaei’s appearance in Nicaragua.
The document asked Nicaragua to honor Interpol “red notices” asking countries to arrest suspects in the AMIA bombing.
The resolution urged “the Nicaraguan authorities, all members of the inter-American system and all members of Interpol to act, in an appropriate manner, in relation to the Interpol red notices related to the AMIA attack.”
OAS antisemitism monitor Fernando Lottenberg had previously denounced the presence of Rezai at Ortega’s inaugural, while asking Nicaragua to adhere to the Interpol notice, which did not take place.
Rezaei, a former leader of Iran’s paramilitary Revolutionary Guard, is one of several Iranian officials wanted in Argentina for their role in the AMIA bombing, which was carried out through Iran’s proxy in Lebanon, Hezbollah.
Iran denies involvement and has repeatedly rejected Argentine demands for the accused to testify.