The Hostage Takers
Bullying, kidnapping and hostage-taking are a fundamental part of Iranian foreign policy.
It is no exaggeration to say that Iran has taken hostages to solve every major challenge in their foreign policy. It started after Iranians stormed into the American embassy in Tehran and took embassy staff and diplomats as hostages for 444 days. They released them after they got their deal with the US government, mediated by Algeria.
Helmut Hofer, a German businessman, was another victim of the political piracy of the Iranian regime. Hofer was arrested and sentenced to death in Tehran for having sex with a Muslim woman. This was after a German court found an Iranian and four Lebanese terrorists guilty for attacking Iranian Kurds on German soil. The German judge pronounced Iran guilty of "state terrorism". Germany was even preparing to put an Iranian spy on trial. Instead, they took the first step towards conciliation, freeing the Iranian spy Hamid Khorsand after fining him. Then Iran released Hofer.
To this, we can add the case of British troops taken hostage by Iran.
Also, American journalists, British tourists and American hikers. Not to mention, the unresolved case of Israeli Airman Ron Arad.
Naturally, all of these cases have led foreigners to conclude that getting close to Iran's border may lead to regrettable results and should be avoided. Since outsiders have smartened up, who is left for the Iranians to take hostage, now?
Historical landmarks, apparently. The Tomb of Prophet Danial in shush and Tombs of Esther and Mordechai in Hamadan both are on Iran soil. They were Iranian hostages in the past and at present.
Just yesterday, Iranian Hezbollah militia called Basijis gathered at the tombs of Esther and Mordechai and threatened to ruin the Jewish shrine if Israel assaulted the Al-Aqsa mosque to facilitate building the Temple Mount (Never mind that no such project is in the works or is even being contemplated by the Israeli government.
"We, the student basijis... warn the Zionist regime leaders if they assault the Al-Aqsa mosque in any way we will destroy the tomb of these lowly murderers," they said.
Who is going to stop them? Perhaps more urgently, who is next on the hostage list?
Adam Balmoral is a Contributing Writer for The Propagandist
