Iran embassy diplomats in service of terrorism

January 2016

A court order issued against the Abdali terror group has shown that a number of Iranian embassy diplomats in Kuwait have been supporting the members of this cell through providing training and financial aid, along with coordination between the cell members.

The name of the Iranian embassy is seen in the Abdali court order in Kuwait is very serious and significant. This order, issued in a 186-page text, shows the role of the embassy members in forming and supporting Hezbollah in Kuwait during the past two decades.

The order issued by a Kuwait court states an Iranian diplomat has helped Hassan Hajiye who is a prime suspect sentenced to death. Hajiye received terrorist training, smuggling, and caching arms and explosives from Hassan Abolfazl, the first secretary of Iran’s embassy in Kuwait. This dangerous Iranian diplomat has been identified and he fled the country in back in 2010 following the discovery of a spying network in Kuwait. Furthermore, another Iranian embassy diplomat is accused of providing financial aid to the suspects in return for intelligence to the Iranian embassy on Iranian dissidents living in Kuwait.

The court order also sheds light on terrorist activities launched by the Iranian embassy’s “cultural bureau” in Kuwait. Abolfazl Ardakani, the cultural advisor of the embassy, had coordinated with a number of convicted members of this cell by the names of Hassan Hosseini, Zoheir al-Hamid and Basel Dashti to facilitate their activities in Kuwait.

Fingers in Kuwait were completely pointed towards the Iranian embassy, and the ambassador in Kuwait, Reza Enayati, who used to work at the regime’s consulate in Riyadh. He then was transferred to Tehran and was appointed in charge of the Saudi dossier. Afterwards he was promoted as the Director of Persian Department in the Foreign Ministry.

The main question is had Kuwait been informed of all this meddling by Iran on its soil, or was it informed during the recent discovery of explosives inside the country? The history of relations between Kuwait and Iran, especially in the past ten years, shows Kuwait has been dealing with these challenges for years and it has a long record of aggressions by the Iranian regime. From spying cells who have been convicted, to constant provocations and the Abdali cell busted a few months ago with a large sum of arms and ammunition worth millions of dollars. Therefore, it is quite clear that Kuwait, like other Persian Gulf countries, has been suffering from Iran’s enmity and meddling for years. The conditions in Yemen, Syria, Iraq, Nigeria, Bahrain and Lebanon are very similar examples.

Following the storming of the Saudi embassy in Tehran and consulate in Mashhad, Iran’s meddling in Arab countries has actually become very overt. The reaction seen from Saudi Arabia and severing ties with Iran was quite in time, and afterwards the countries of Bahrain, Somalia, Kumar and Sudan followed suit and also ended all diplomatic ties with Tehran. The United Arab Emirates downgraded its diplomatic relations with the mullahs. These measures have left Iran very isolated in the region, forcing the regime to withdraw very quickly and apologize for its attack against the Saudi embassy. However, conditions in the region have changed significantly and Saudi Arabia has risen as a major Islamic player, showing other countries can find refuge with Riyadh against Tehran. Therefore, the only action Kuwait needs to take against this meddling is to severe all diplomatic relations with Iran.

A defensive approach is not enough to fight back against Iran’s meddling. In fact an offensive approach, as adopted by the Saudis, is needed and quite necessary. Otherwise we have to sit back and wait for even more terrorist attacks inspired by Iran. The diplomats of Iran’s embassies are actually members of the terrorist Revolutionary Guards Quds Force and their mission is to interfere in the internal affairs of other countries and form fundamentalist groups on their soil. As soon as these corrupt cells are busted in the countries of the region, governments of the Middle East will be more successful in uprooting all corruption and terrorism throughout the region.