Hello Brentwill1~
The U.S. State Department dubbed Iran the world?s ?most active state
sponsor of terrorism.? (?Iran,? Council on Foreign Relations:
http://cfrterrorism.org/sponsors/iran.html ) According to this site,
Iran primarily backs Islamist groups--mostly Lebanese Shiite militants
of Hezbollah, Hamas, Ahmad Jibril's PFLP-GC, and Palestinian Islamic
Jihad. Most of Iran?s terrorist activities occur in the form of
funding terrorist groups, providing safe havens for terrorists, and
offering training and weaponry.
Here are some specific terrorist activities linked to Iran:
* 80 Iranian revolutionaries invaded the American Embassy in Tehran in
November 1979. They took 52 Americans hostage for 444 days.
* Experts claim Iran had ?prior knowledge? of Hezbollah attacks,
including the 1988 kidnapping and murder of Col. William Higgins, and
the 1992 and 1994 bombings of Jewish institutions in Argentina.
* On April 18, 1983, a Hizballah suicide bomber--with the support of
Iran--crashed a truck full of explosives into the US embassy in
Beirut, Lebanon. 63 people were killed, (17 U.S. citizens).
* In October of the same year, Shiite suicide bombers (from the
Hizballah organization, with support from Iran) bombed barracks in
Beirut where U.S. Marines and French paratroopers were housed. 299
people were killed (241 U.S. Marines).
* In December of that year, a Shiite suicide truck bomber working for
Iran crashed into the U.S. embassy in Kuwait. 5 people were killed and
80 were injured. ?Kuwait later arrested and convicted 17 suspects.
When Iraq conquered Kuwait 8/2/90, Iraq released the 17, who have
never been recaptured.? (?History of Terrorism?
http://www.crimsonbird.com/terrorism/timeline.htm. )
* In December of 1984, a Kuwait Airways Flight was hijacked. Hijackers
demanded the release of 17 suspects arrested by Kuwait for the
above-mentioned bombing. The demand was refused and the hijackers
killed two passengers (U.S. government employees). Iranian troops
entered the plane and arrested the hijackers, but later released the
them, never putting them on trial.
* ?U.S. officials say Iran supported and inspired the group behind the
1996 truck bombing of Khobar Towers, a U.S. military residence in
Saudi Arabia, which killed 19 U.S. servicemen.? (?Iran,? Council on
Foreign Relations: http://cfrterrorism.org/sponsors/iran.html )
* To this day, Iran has a $2.8 million bounty for novelist Salman
Rushdie for writing The Satanic Verses (published in 1989). Iranian
leaders think the book is blasphemous. Recently, Ayatollah Yazdi, a
member of the Council of Guardians, said that ?the decree [bounty] is
irrevocable and, God willing, will be carried out."
* Iran is known to send frequent shipments of arms to Hezbollah.
* In early 2002, a 50-ton shipment of arms bound for the Palestinian
Authority was discovered by Israel; Israel says came from (Iran.
Indeed, Iranian leaders continue to make hostile statements about
Israel. [Supreme Leader Khamenei calls Israel a ?cancerous tumor" that
must be removed; President Khatami, an "illegal entity? which should
be sanctioned; Expediency Council Secretary Rezai also said "Iran will
continue its campaign against Zionism until Israel is completely
eradicated."][?State Sponsored Terrorism,? Terrorism Files:
http://www.terrorismfiles.org/countries/iran.html ] )
There is some evidence that Osama bin Laden contacted Iran in the
mid-1990s, his hand extended, hoping for a terrorist partnership
against America. U.S. officials say that after 9/11, some al-Qaeda
members fled to Iran. Although the Saudi foreign minister said that
Iran threw out 16 al-Qaeda members, other Arab officials insist dozens
of al-Qaeda members are staying in Iran. U.S. officials are unsure how
closely Iran is associated with al-Qaeda, and point out that Iran?s
Shiite Muslim fundamentalism is distinct from the Wahhabi strain of
Islam of the al-Qaeda.
After 9/11, the U.S. and Iran both had interest in getting rid of the
Taliban, and a limited, but more friendly, relationship developed
between the nations. Tensions built up again, however, with the
shipment of arms mentioned above.
Nonetheless, Iran has made a decided effort to dispel their connection
with terrorism. Still, as one writer put it, ?this has been motivated
mainly by the desire for the economic advantages that can be had by
altering its appearance vis-a-vis the West. Iran does not deny its
adherence to Khomeini's ?Islamic revolutionary ideology,? which
supports all radical Islamic movements worldwide. However the regime
insists that Iranian support for these movements does not go beyond
cultural, moral and humanitarian aid. Tehran strongly denies any
military and/or financial assistance to these movements. Upon hearing
these denials, it is well to bear in mind the principle of taqiyya
(concealing the faith), a concept deeply embedded in the Shi'ite
tradition, and according to which untruth can be used as a means of
protection against the persecutors of the Shi'ite faithful.? (?The
History of Iranian Sponsored Terrorism,? by Yael Shahar:
http://joshuawoody.com/iran.htm )
Regards,
Kriswrite
KEYWORDS USED:
Iran terrorism
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Iran's terrorism
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Iran "history of" terrorism
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