Iranian state media accused President Javier Milei of “crossing an unforgivable red line” for declaring Iran an enemy of his country and supporting the United States and Israel, Argentine outlets reported on Monday.
The newspaper Clarín reported that the state-affiliated Tehran Times published a piece titled, “Milei, Quo Vadis?” (“Milei, where are you going?” in Latin) containing threats against Milei and accusing him and the Argentine government of turning into an “instrument at the hands of the Zionist regime and the United States” to advance in a purported over 30-years-old “Iranophobia project” against Iran. The outlet claimed this plot stemmed from accusations against Iran over its involvement in the two terrorist attacks against Israeli targets in Buenos Aires in the 1990s.
The anti-Milei piece, according to Clarín, was distributed to journalists by officials close to the Iranian government, as the Tehran Times website has been offline since the start of the war.
The piece reportedly read in part:
In light of these facts, Iran cannot remain indifferent to the hostile stance of the current Argentine government. The Islamic Republic of Iran, while maintaining constant vigilance against these plots, must devise a proportionate response to this hostility. The hands of Iran’s enemies are stained with the blood of innocent people in our country, including more than 160 students from the school in Minab (recently destroyed by a U.S. missile).
…
Now, Argentina has officially declared itself an enemy of Iran and has aligned itself with the United States and the Zionist regime in the military aggression against our nation. This is an unforgivable red line that has been crossed.
President Milei, a staunch supporter of America and Israel, has realigned Argentina’s foreign policy with both nations as its topmost allies — marking a stark change for the South American country after nearly two decades of socialist administrations pushed Argentina towards Iran and other anti-U.S. regimes around the world. Milei has repeatedly expressed his support of the United States and Israel in the ongoing war against Iran and publicly celebrated the death of “Supreme Leader” Ayatollah Ali Khamenei in an official statement.
Last week, as part of a broader trip to the United States, Milei spoke at Yeshiva University in Manhattan. During his speech, Milei condemned the Iranian Islamic regime and branded Iran an “enemy” of Argentina on the grounds that Iran, through its proxy terror group Hezbollah, committed two terrorist attacks in Buenos Aires in the 1990s: the March 17, 1992, bombing of the Israeli embassy and the July 18, 1994, bombing of the Argentine-Israeli Mutual Association (AMIA).
“I’ll tell you that as an Argentine, let’s say, I don’t like Iran very much. I mean, because they bombed us twice, one at the AMIA and another at the Israeli embassy. Therefore, let’s say, they are our enemies,” Milei said at the time.
“But I also have a strategic alliance with the United States and Israel, so I have no doubt that the United States and Israel will emerge victorious from this situation,” he continued.
Clarín reported that the Tehran Times made mention of Milei’s recent remarks and reaffirmation of his support for the U.S. and Israel and claimed:
While the Islamic Republic of Iran has never considered the people or government of Argentina to be its enemy; however, it appears that Milei, with this approach and by crossing Iran’s red line on national security, seeks to sacrifice national interests and the national interest on the altar of the United States and the Israeli apartheid regime.
The Iranian state-affiliated outlet further accused Milei of having turned Argentina into “the Israel of Latin America, a place where pressure groups and elements close to the Zionist regime have a profound influence on decision-making centers.”
“This influence has transformed Argentina into a base for designing and executing plots against Iran,” the Tehran Times reportedly claimed.
The Argentine state-owned broadcaster Televisión Pública reported that on Tuesday afternoon (local time) Milei presided over official government events commemorating the 34th anniversary of the 1992 bombing of the Israeli embassy in Buenos Aires. On that day, terrorists drove a van filled with explosives into the embassy, killing 29 and leaving more than 250 injured.
“Thirty-four years after the attack on the Israeli Embassy in Buenos Aires, we remember the 29 victims killed on March 17, 1992, and pay tribute to all those affected by this brutal terrorist act,” The Argentine Casa Rosada (“Pink House”) presidential palace wrote on social media alongside a commemorative video.
“Solving this attack remains an inalienable duty of our nation, and the Iranian regime, which Argentine courts have ruled was responsible for planning it, must be held accountable for its vile acts,” the text continued.
Argentine courts ruled in 2024 that Iran, through Hezbollah, was responsible for both the 1992 bombing of the Israeli embassy and the 1994 bombing of the AMIA building — a similar attack that left 85 dead and hundreds injured. The 1994 AMIA bombing was the deadliest terrorist attack in the Western Hemisphere prior to the September 11, 2001, attacks in the United States.
Christian K. Caruzo is a Venezuelan writer and documents life under socialism. You can follow him on Twitter here.
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