Iran dubs 'Israel's' 1982 abduction of four diplomats 'terrorist act'
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Iran marks the 43rd anniversary of the abduction of four diplomats in Lebanon, accusing "Israel" of their capture and urging international bodies to uncover their fate.
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An Iranian official stands in front of a painting of four missing Iranian diplomats who disappeared during the 1982 Israeli invasion of Lebanon as she attends the press conference of the Iranian Foreign Minister Hossein Amirabdollahian at the Iranian Embassy in Beirut, Lebanon, Friday, April 28, 2023 (AP)
The Iranian Foreign Ministry issued a statement on the 43rd anniversary of the abduction of four Iranian diplomats in Lebanon, affirming that evidence proves the diplomats were kidnapped on Lebanese territory and subsequently handed over to the Israeli entity.
The Ministry described the abduction, which took place on July 5, 1982, as a flagrant violation of international law and the Vienna Convention on Diplomatic Relations, classifying it as an “act of terrorism.”
Tehran reiterated that it holds the Israeli entity fully responsible for the kidnapping and detention of its citizens and confirmed that it continues to actively pursue the case through relevant international channels.
The statement called once again on Lebanese government officials, the UN Secretary-General, the International Committee of the Red Cross, and all other competent international bodies to uphold their legal and humanitarian responsibilities, and to exert all possible efforts to uncover the fate of the Iranian diplomats.
Iran also renewed its proposal to form a joint fact-finding committee with Lebanon, in cooperation with the International Committee of the Red Cross, to follow up on the case and clarify the status of the abducted diplomats.
In April 2023, Iran’s Islamic Revolution Guard Corps (IRGC) announced the martyrdom of the four diplomats, solving a mystery that had persisted for over four decades.
The diplomats were abducted in 1982 by the Lebanese Forces militia. They are: IRGC Brigadier General Ahmad Motevaselian, acting chargé d'affaires at the Iranian embassy in Lebanon Seyed Mohsen Mousavi, technical staff member Taghi Rastegar-Moghaddam, and journalist Kazem Akhavan, who worked for the Islamic Republic News Agency (IRNA).
