119-sres326

[Congressional Bills 119th Congress]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office]
[S. Res. 326 Introduced in Senate

    (IS) ]

<DOC>

119th CONGRESS
 1st Session
S. RES. 326

 Remembering the 33rd anniversary of the bombing of the Embassy of 
 Israel in Buenos Aires on March 17, 1992, and the 31st anniversary of 
 the bombing of the Argentine-Israeli Mutual Association building in 
 Buenos Aires on July 18, 1994, and recommitting to efforts to uphold 
 justice for the victims of the attacks.

_______________________________________________________________________

 IN THE SENATE OF THE UNITED STATES

 July 17, 2025

 Mr. Curtis (for himself and Ms. Rosen) submitted the following 
 resolution; which was referred to the Committee on Foreign Relations

_______________________________________________________________________

 RESOLUTION

 Remembering the 33rd anniversary of the bombing of the Embassy of 
 Israel in Buenos Aires on March 17, 1992, and the 31st anniversary of 
 the bombing of the Argentine-Israeli Mutual Association building in 
 Buenos Aires on July 18, 1994, and recommitting to efforts to uphold 
 justice for the victims of the attacks.

Whereas, on March 17, 1992, a truck laden with explosives struck and detonated 
 at the Embassy of Israel in Buenos Aires, Argentina, killing 29 people 
 and wounding more than 200 others;
Whereas Argentina is home to the largest Jewish community in Latin America and 
 the sixth largest in the world, outside Israel;
Whereas, in 1999, the Supreme Court of Argentina, after conducting an 
 investigation, found that the Lebanese terrorist organization Hezbollah 
 was responsible for the bombing, which claimed the lives of Israeli 
 diplomats, their relatives, and numerous Argentine citizens and 
 children;
Whereas 2 years after the bombing of the Embassy of Israel in Argentina, on July 
 18, 1994, a car bomb detonated at the Argentine Israelite Mutual 
 Association

    (AMIA) Jewish Community Center building in Buenos Aires, 
 killing 85 people and wounding more than 300 others, rendering it the 
 deadliest terrorist attack in Argentina's history;
Whereas, for 25 years, the investigation into the AMIA bombing has been stymied 
 by international inaction, political interference, investigative 
 misconduct, and allegations of cover-ups, including the removal of the 
 Federal judge in charge of the case in 2005 for supposed ``serious 
 irregularities'' in his handling of the case;
Whereas, in October 2006, Argentine prosecutors Alberto Nisman and Marcelo 
 Martin Burgos formally accused the Government of Iran of directing 
 Hezbollah to carry out the AMIA bombing;
Whereas the Argentine prosecutors charged Iranian nationals as suspects in the 
 AMIA bombing, including--

    (1) Ali Fallahijan, Iran's former intelligence minister;

    (2) Mohsen Rabbani, Iran's former cultural attache in Buenos Aires;

    (3) Ahmad Reza Asghari, a former Iranian diplomat posted to Argentina;

    (4) Ahmad Vahidi, Iran's former defense minister;

    (5) Ali Akbar Velayati, Iran's former foreign minister;

    (6) Mohsen Rezaee, former chief commander of the Iranian Islamic 
Revolutionary Guard Corps;

    (7) Ali Akbar Hashemi Rafsanjani, former President of Iran; and

    (8) Hadi Soleimanpour, former Iranian ambassador to Argentina;

Whereas, in November 2007, the International Criminal Police Organization

    (INTERPOL) published Red Notices on 5 of the Iranian nationals and 
 Hezbollah operative Ibrahim Hussein Berro;
Whereas those with INTERPOL Red Notices have repeatedly traveled internationally 
 with impunity on more than 20 occasions since 2007;
Whereas, in May 2013, Argentine prosecutor Alberto Nisman published a 500-page 
 report accusing the Government of Iran of establishing terrorist 
 networks throughout Latin America;
Whereas, in January 2015, Mr. Nisman released the results of an investigation 
 alleging that then-President Fernandez de Kirchner and then-Foreign 
 Minister Timerman conspired to cover up Iranian involvement in the 1994 
 AMIA bombing and that they had agreed to negotiate immunity for Iranian 
 suspects and secure the removal of the INTERPOL Red Notices;
Whereas Mr. Nisman was scheduled to present his findings to a commission of the 
 Argentine National Congress on January 19, 2015, but on January 18, 
 2015, was found dead as the result of a gunshot wound to his head in his 
 apartment in Buenos Aires;
Whereas, to date, no one has been brought to justice for the 1992 bombing of the 
 Israeli Embassy in Argentina, the 1994 bombing of the AMIA Jewish 
 Community Center in Buenos Aires, or the death of Argentine prosecutor 
 Alberto Nisman;
Whereas the Third Federal Criminal and Correctional Court of Buenos Aires 
 requested--

    (1) on October 18, 2022, that Qatar detain Mohsen Rezaee; and

    (2) on June 15, 2023, that Argentinian authorities and INTERPOL work 
together to apprehend Lebanese nationals Hussein Mounir Mouzannar, Ali 
Hussein Abdallah, Farouk Abdul Hay Omairi, and Abdallah Salman for the role 
of these individuals in the 1994 bombing of the AMIA Jewish Community 
Center;

Whereas, in April 2024, the highest criminal court of Argentina found that Iran 
 was responsible for the AMIA attack and declared it a crime against 
 humanity;
Whereas, in March 2025, Argentina passed Law No. 27.784, which allows trial in 
 absentia, opening the door for prosecuting foreign suspects not present 
 in the country;
Whereas, in April 2025, AMIA special prosecutor Sebastian Basso requested both 
 national and international arrest warrants for Iran's Supreme Leader 
 Ayatollah Ali Khamenei under the authority of Law No. 27.784; and
Whereas, on June 26, 2025, Federal Judge Daniel Rafecas ruled that a trial in 
 absentia would be held for the 10 men accused of planning and ordering 
 the terrorist attack on the AMIA: Now, therefore, be it
 Resolved, That the Senate--

    (1) reiterates its strongest condemnation of the 1992 
 attack on the Israeli Embassy in Argentina and the 1994 attack 
 on the Argentine Israelite Mutual Association

    (AMIA) Jewish 
 Community Center in Buenos Aires;

    (2) honors the victims of the 1992 bombing of the Israeli 
 Embassy in Argentina and the 1994 AMIA bombing and expresses 
 its sympathy to the relatives of the victims who are still 
 waiting for justice;

    (3) underscores the concern of the United States regarding 
 the continuing, decades-long delay in resolving the 1992 and 
 1994 terrorist attacks in Argentina and urges the President of 
 the United States to offer technical assistance to the 
 Government of Argentina to support the ongoing investigations;

    (4) urges the Government of Argentina and the international 
 community to continue efforts to bring the perpetrators of the 
 March 17, 1992, and July 18, 1994, terrorist attacks to 
 justice, including by--
        (A) enforcing the Red Notices issued by the 
 International Criminal Police Organization; and
        (B) extending such Red Notices prior to expiration;

    (5) calls upon the Government of Argentina to conclude the 
 investigation into the murder of Alberto Nisman so the 
 responsible individuals are brought to justice;

    (6) commends the Government of Argentina for designating 
 Hezbollah and Hamas as terrorist organizations and urges other 
 United States allies and partners in Latin America and the 
 Caribbean to do the same;

    (7) commends the Government of Argentina for adopting the 
 International Holocaust Remembrance Alliance working definition 
 of antisemitism and encourages other partners and allies to do 
 the same; and

    (8) calls on the United States Government to continue to 
 support efforts to hold Iran accountable for the AMIA attacks.
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