Deputy Minister of the Intelligence Department Mohammad-Bagher Zolghadr, has threatened Western states with "heavy bombardment" if they interfere in Iranian affairs.
Zolghadr, a key ally of President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad who was recently promoted from his position as Deputy Commander of the Revolutionary Guards, accused Western states of using ethnic minorities to ignite a war with Iran. He pledged to target Western interests in the Middle East with rocket attacks, according to the Baztab website which is run by Mohsen Rezai, a former chief commander of the Revolutionary Guards ( click here for report ).
The former General made the threats during a visit to Iranian Kurdistan, which is witnessing ethnic unrest and clashes between Kurdish rebels and Iranian forces. Zolghadr is currently one of the 15 top Islamic Republic officials specifically designated by the UN for travel limitation. He is associated with the killings of leading Iranian dissident intellectuals in 1998.
Zolghadr's remarks come amid revelations by former Iranian diplomat Adel Assadinia that the Iranian consulate in Dubai has established sleeper cells throughout the Gulf region to attack Western interests in the event of any hostilities between Iran and Western governments ( click here for report ). Assadinia's claims came after the Deputy Chief of Staff of the Iranian Armed Forces Ali Reza Afshar warned that even a "small move" against Iran would lead to a "great explosion" throughout the Gulf region ( click here for report ).
The Iranian regime has since declared the British Ahwazi Friendship Society (BAFS) an illegal terrorist organisation and condemned the Metropolitan Police for allowing the organisation to stage demonstrations in London. Foreign Ministry spokesman Mohammad Ali Hosseini said in September 2006 that pro-Ahwazi Arab activism by groups in the UK was a "sign of Britain's meddling in the internal affairs of other countries."
BAFS Chairman Daniel Brett said: "Taking all these statements together, the regime appears to be threatening to kill Western citizens if Western governments continue to allow ethnic rights activists to mobilise against persecution. It is clear that the regime thinks the ethnic rights movements in Iran are a direct threat and is trying to portray them as proxies in a war of attrition. The very existence of groups such as BAFS is regarded as an act of war against Iran.
"While we do not foresee a bombardment in the near future, there is a danger that the regime will conduct an assassination campaign in Europe. The Revolutionary Guards killed three Kurdish leaders in Vienna in 1989. Austrian Green Party leader Peter Pilz claims that Ahmadinejad played a role in the assassinations while serving as a Revolutionary Guards commander. Given the recent round of threats by senior military figures and government officials, there is reason to believe that the regime has prepared a plan to assassinate Ahwazi, Kurdish and Balochi opposition leaders in Europe if ethnic groups continue to challenge the regime."
Labels: minorities , terrorism
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keywords: ahvaz ahwaz ahwazi arabistan khuzestan khuzistan khuzestani arab arabistan iran iranian human rights security oil news ahmadinejad ethnic cleansing
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