Iran urges setting up fact-finding mission over fate of kidnapped diplomats

On the 42nd anniversary of the kidnapping of four Iranian diplomats in Lebanon- Seyyed Mohsen Mousavi, Ahmad Motevasselian, Kazem Akhavan, and Taghi Rastegar Moghadam- the ministry issued a statement, holding the Zionist regime responsible for the crime of kidnapping those diplomats.

Referring to the decades-long history of the Zionist regime’s crimes against the regional nations, the Iranian Foreign Ministry emphasized that the fate of the four kidnapped Iranian diplomats should be clarified and it holds the Zionist regime, as the occupying force in Lebanon at the time, politically and legally responsible for the crime of kidnapping those loved ones.

The statement read, while appreciating the valuable measures and cooperation by the friendly and brotherly government of the Republic of Lebanon in the past years, the Iranian Ministry of Foreign Affairs stresses the need to continue the efforts and moves by the official political and judicial institutions as well as the Lebanese government as the host government to determine the fate of the Islamic Republic of Iran’s diplomats.

It also voiced regret that international community, especially human rights institutions, has not yet taken effective measures to help determine the fate of the diplomats.

The Iranian Foreign Ministry stressed on the responsibilities of the UN and human rights institutions to diligently follow up on the case until a desired outcome, namely the determination of the fate of these loved ones, is achieved.