Argentina orders trial in absentia for 10 in 1994 AMIA bombing case
An Argentine judge on Thursday ruled that ten suspects in the 1994 bombing of a Jewish center in Buenos Aires—Argentina’s deadliest attack—must face trial in absentia.
The bombing of the Argentine Israelite Mutual Association (AMIA) killed 85 people and injured over 150.
Those accused include Iran's former intelligence minister Ali Fallahian, former foreign minister Ali Akbar Velayati, former Revolutionary Guard commander Mohsen Rezaee, former ambassador to Argentina Hadi Soleimanpour, and other Iranian embassy staff.
Argentine authorities also named individuals affiliated with Hezbollah.
People hold images of the victims of the 1994 bombing attack on the Argentine Israeli Mutual Association (AMIA) community center, marking the 30th anniversary of the attack, in Buenos Aires, Argentina July 18, 2024.
Iran's Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi said Thursday there is no agreement to restart negotiations with the United States and no discussions about talks have taken place.
“There has been no agreement to resume negotiations, and not even any conversation about negotiations. At present, there is no basis for talks,” Araghchi said on state television.
During previous discussions, Iran rejected a US proposal and intended to present its own at the next session, but the attack occurred before that happened, he added.
“In earlier negotiations, they offered a proposal of which many parts were unacceptable to us, and we rejected it… That proposal was not achieved, and the assault took place.”
Any potential agreement, Araghchi said, would have to be based on three pillars: “From the beginning, we made it clear that any possible agreement must include two pillars: enrichment inside Iran and lifting of sanctions. A third pillar, providing guarantees that we will not pursue nuclear weapons, could also be addressed.”
“In all our correspondence, we said that this aggression was a betrayal of diplomacy and the very spirit of negotiation,” he added.
“Whether we will specifically return to talks with the United States is a matter under review and depends on our national interests,” Araghchi said.
The Trump administration discussed easing sanctions and backing a $30 billion civilian nuclear energy plan for Iran in recent secret talks, CNN reported Thursday, citing four sources familiar with the matter.
Despite ongoing military exchanges between Iran and Israel, behind-the-scenes talks continued last week and into the ceasefire, the sources said.
A preliminary proposal includes US-led negotiations and foreign-backed investment in a non-enrichment Iranian nuclear program—so long as Tehran agrees to abandon uranium enrichment entirely.
One official stressed the money would not come from the United States, which prefers regional partners to cover the cost.
“The US is willing to lead these talks,” one Trump official told CNN.
“And someone is going to need to pay for the nuclear program to be built, but we will not make that commitment.”
At least some details were discussed during a closed-door White House meeting last Friday between US envoy Steve Witkoff and Persian Gulf partners, one day before American strikes on Iran.
Iran’s army said Thursday it shot down 17 Israeli drones during the recent conflict, targeting them in the country’s western region.
The commander of the western regional base of Iran’s ground forces said the military’s air defense units had intercepted and destroyed “17 advanced Hermes and Heron drones” operated by Israel.
There was no indication that Iran moved enriched uranium from any of the three nuclear sites targeted by the United States in its June 21 strike, White House Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt said Thursday.
“We were watching closely and there was no indication to the United States that any of that enriched uranium was moved prior to the strike,” Leavitt said during a briefing.
Asked to confirm the material remained in place at all sites, she replied, “Correct.”
Leavitt also criticized selective leaks to the media of what she described as “low-confidence, preliminary intelligence,” calling them illegal and misleading. “Only tidbits of that assessment were leaked to CNN,” she said. “We have seen this playbook run before.”
She added that the FBI was investigating the source of the leak.
On reports that Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu hoped to visit Washington, Leavitt confirmed his interest but said no date had been set. “The President is obviously very open to that,” she said.
Israel’s military campaign against Iran had created a window of opportunity to expand its normalization agreements, Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said on Thursday, just hours after reports of a new US-Israeli plan to end the Gaza war within two weeks.
“We fought valiantly against Iran – and achieved a great victory,” Netanyahu said in a video message.
“This victory opens up an opportunity for a dramatic expansion of the peace agreements. We are working hard on this.”
“Along with the release of our hostages and the defeat of Hamas,” he added, “there is a window of opportunity here that must not be missed. Not even a single day can be wasted.”
