Iran shows hostility in nomination for defense minister

August 28, 2009 at 12:00a.m.

Miami Herald: Incredibly, President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad of Iran has nominated a suspected international terrorist to become the country’s next defense minister. As a gesture of sheer contempt for what the world thinks of Iran and its government, this is hard to beat.

Ahmad Vahidi is wanted by Interpol in connection with a deadly 1994 attack on a Jewish community center in Argentina that killed 85 people and left 151 wounded. He is also a former commander of the Quds Force, the external operations branch of the Revolutionary Guards, and a suspect in the 1996 attack on the U.S. Air Force barracks in Saudi Arabia.

Yet this is the man Ahmadinejad would place in a key government position — in charge of Iran’s armed forces. The nomination is an affront to every nation that believes in justice and the rule of law. Obviously, Ahmadinejad does not share those values, and neither do any members of the Iranian Parliament who would vote to confirm the nomination.

Questions answered

This is the clearest signal yet that Iran will support international terrorism as long as Ahmadinejad remains president. It should once and for all put to rest the question of whether Iran’s leader and his supporters want better relations with other nations.

By naming a suspected mass murderer to run Iran’s armed forces, he sends a frightening message of hostility and defiance that other countries would be wise to heed. That includes Venezuela and Bolivia, where Presidents Hugo Chavez and Evo Morales have been cozying up to Iran and its emissaries.

“We will extend a hand if you are willing to unclench your fist,” President Barack Obama said in his inaugural address, signaling a willingness to talk to hostile nations.

Iran has replied. Its fist remains firmly clenched.