Iran justifies stance on Israel bombings
March 5, 1996
Web posted at: 5:15 p.m. EST (2215 GMT)From Correspondent Christiane Amanpour
TEHRAN, Iran (CNN) -- Like the rest of the world, the deadly bombings in Israel have been front-page news in Iran.
But most Iranian newspapers glorify the bombers, heralding them as martyrs for Islam.
In fact, the official Iranian news agency says the latest bombings are the beginning of the end for Israel.
The latest bombings, however, have come at a time when Iranian government officials have tried sprucing up their country's image, telling journalists that extreme policies of the past will now be modified.
Also the Iranian government denies long-standing accusations by the United States, Israel and now the Palestine Liberation Organization that it actively backs Palestinian terrorists.
"Iran categorically rejects these unfounded allegations," says Mohammad Javad Zarif, Iranian deputy foreign minister. Zarif says Israel and other countries cannot explain the bombings so they look for a scapegoat, in this case Iran. (221K AIFF sound or 221K WAV sound)
Yet Iran does itself few favors when it issues anti-Israel rhetoric or trumpets suicide bombers as martyrs.
"Having an opinion and expressing an opinion is very different than engaging and being involved in acts," says Zarif. "And that should be very clearly defined."
"We believe that it has no legal recognition and no legal justification. And I believe the U.S. is losing a lot by supporting Israel," adds Said Rajae-Khorassani, an Iranian parliament member.
Officially, Iran opposes the Middle East peace process, but it sends out conflicting messages.
Iran's religious leader recently said that Arab states are harming Islam by negotiating with Israel. On the other hand, the Iranian president last summer told CNN that Iran will respect the decision of its ally, Syria, if it joins the list of Arab states signing on with the peace process. Iran's foreign ministry now reconfirms this position.
Meanwhile, some U.S. officials insist they have clear evidence that Iran is trying to sabotage the peace process.
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