Nearly four decades after the mass murder of 241 U.S. servicemen in Beirut, Lebanon back on October 24, 1983, Sayyed Issa Tabatabai, the representative of Iranian Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei in Lebanon has come forward to make a public statement on the role the Iranian regime played in this unspeakable act.
The Middle East Media Research Institute (MEMRI) located this bombshell interview with Tabatabai and quickly translated it, though state-controlled Islamic Republic News Agency (IRNA) scrubbed any incriminating evidence from its website.
Tabatabai’s remarks confirm long held suspicions about Iran’s involvement in several bombings throughout 1983 – most notably, the bombing of a US embassy in Beirut which resulted in 63 deaths – 17 of them being Americans, as well as dual suicide truck bombers blowing up barracks for multinational forces including 220 US marines, 18 US Navy sailors, 3 US Army soldiers and 58 French troops.
Tabatabai states that he quickly went to Lebanon after receiving orders from Ayatollah Ruhollah Khomeini to provide resources for these martyrdom operations against Americans and Israelis. He further confirms that 70 members signed a contract declaring their willingness to become martyrs out of his own home – indicating a larger scale than previously expected.
The significance of Tabatai is shown by his recent meeting with Iranian Foreign Minister Hossein Amir-Abdollahian who praised him for his efforts “enhancing ‘the resistance’s’ position”.
Michael Rubin from American Enterprise Institute commented on this situation saying that “Americans have astonished both Iranians and victims of Iranian terrorism with diplomatic contortions undertaken to avoid holding Iran to account”.
It remains unclear what actions will be taken by either the Biden or Macron administrations but one thing is certain: families of those affected from this tragedy can now pursue legal action against Iran given its admission into their involvement through Tabatai’s confession.
There are also questions surrounding those potentially involved in foreign lobbying for Iran which could potentially lead to further investigations into other individuals involved at higher levels within the government or corporate entities associated with Tehran – an outcome which would be very damaging if found guilty.
