On July 2, 2005, Al-Arabiya TV broadcast a report on an Iranian movement of suicide bombers with the aim of targeting Americans in Iraq and Israel. The volunteers said they wanted to carry out martyrdom operations to liberate Islamic lands and stated that so far 40,000 "time bombs" have been recruited. To view this clip, visit http://memritv.org/clip/en/736.htm.
According to the chairman and spokesman of The World Islamic Organization's Headquarters for Remembering the Shahids, Mohammad 'Ali Samedi, his organization began recruiting suicide bombers about a year and a half ago, as reported by MEMRI last year. [1] Since then, he has engaged in organizing conventions, registering volunteer suicide bombers online, and providing guidance and training for martyrdom operations.
The organization's supporters, and those participating in its activities, include public figures, such as veteran MP Mahdi Kuchak-Zadeh, from the prominent conservative party Coalition of Iran's Developers (Abadgoran) which backed Iranian President-Elect Mahmoud Ahmadi-Nejad and Revolutionary Guards officers such as General Salami, head of The Revolutionary Guards Headquarters for Strategic Operations.
As they did a year ago, spokesmen for the organization are trying to emphasize that it is not a government organization and does not have the support of the Iranian government. However, at the same time, they hint at help given to them by the government. [2]
Although Firooz Rajai, one of the leaders of the organization, stated that volunteers have not been sent to carry out missions, the London Arabic-language daily Al-Sharq Al-Awsat reported in June 2004 that a group sent from Iran on a suicide mission to Iraq had apparently been apprehended and handed over to British forces in Iraq. [3]
The interviewees on the program also underlined the "successful" cooperation between the organization and the Palestinian movements Hamas and Islamic Jihad.
[1] For details of the organization and its activity, see MEMRI Inquiry and Analysis No. 181, June 17, 2004, "The Internal Debate in Iran: How to Respond to Western Pressure Regarding its Nuclear Program," http://www.memri.org/report/en/0/0/0/0/0/0/1155.htm.
[2] Aftab-e Yazd (Iran) reported on June 8, 2004 that reformists criticized indications of government support, because they might endanger Iran in the international arena. Also, see the response by Iranian Foreign Ministry Spokesman Hamid Reza Asefi in Aftab-e Yazd (Iran), June 7, 2004. These references can be found in MEMRI Inquiry and Analysis No. 181, June 17, 2004, "The Internal Debate in Iran: How to Respond to Western Pressure Regarding its Nuclear Program," http://www.memri.org/report/en/0/0/0/0/0/0/1155.htm.
[3] See MEMRI Special Dispatch No. 734, June 23, 2004, "Iranian Source: British Sailors Apprehended to Swap for 40 Iranian Volunteers for Suicide Missions Captured in Iraq," http://www.memri.org/report/en/0/0/0/0/0/0/1159.htm.
