LITTLE ROCK — 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.
This is the clearest signal yet that Iran will support international terrorism as long as Ahmadinejad remains president.
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.
Editorial, Pages 12 on 08/31/2009