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Newly appointed Iranian minister complicit in bombing of Jewish center in Argentina

Ahmad Vahidi is blacklisted by the U.S. and wanted by Interpol over his alleged role in the 1994 terror attack in Buenos Aires that killed 85 and wounded hundreds.

By AP and World Israel News Staff

Iran’s President Ebrahim Raisi presented a Cabinet dominated by hard-liners on Wednesday, state TV reported, providing one of the first glimpses into the policies he might pursue over the next four years.

The Cabinet list included no women, few surprises and several officials from Iran’s paramilitary Revolutionary Guard. The nominees must still be confirmed by Iran’s parliament, which is expected to convene Saturday.

Among those appointed is Gen. Ahmad Vahidi as interior minister. Vahidi is a former defense minister blacklisted by the U.S. in 2010 and wanted by Interpol over his alleged role in the 1994 bombing of a Jewish cultural center in Buenos Aires. The terror attack killed 85 people and wounded hundreds.

Vahidi also served as commander of Iran’s expeditionary Quds Force in the late 1980s, responsible for Tehran’s proxies across the Mideast.

He was Iran’s defense minister from 2009 to 2013 when Mahmoud Ahmadinejad was president.

Israel’s Foreign Ministry condemned the appointment of Vahidi.

In a statement on Twitter, Foreign Ministry spokesperson Lior Haiat appealed to the international community to denounce the appointment.

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“This is the face of Iran’s new terror government led by president Raisi, who is responsible for the murder of thousands of Iranians,” Haiat stated.