1982 kidnapping of Iranian diplomats
Three Iranian diplomats as well as a reporter for Islamic Republic News Agency (IRNA) were abducted in Lebanon on 4 July 1982. None of them have been seen since. The missing individuals are Ahmad Motevaselian, military attaché for Iran's embassy in Beirut; Seyed Mohsen Mousavi, chargé d'affaires at the embassy; Taghi Rastegar Moghadam, an embassy employee; and Kazem Akhavan, IRNA photojournalist. Motevaselian was also an Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) member in command of an Iranian expeditionary force in Lebanon.
| Part of Lebanese Civil War | |
| Date | 4 July 1982 |
|---|---|
| Location | El Berbara, Lebanon |
| Missing | Ahmad Motevaselian, Seyed Mohsen Mousavi, Taghi Rastegar Moghadam, Kazem Akhavan |
| Inquiries | Lebanese government, Iranian government, Sayyed Raed Mousavi, Nazih Mansour |
| Suspects | Lebanese Forces |
| Accused | Lebanese Forces |
They were stopped at a checkpoint in northern Lebanon by the Lebanese Forces commanded by Samir Geagea. Speculation about their fate has circulated since their abduction. Iranian officials believe that they were handed over to Israel after they were kidnapped and are still alive and being held in Israeli territory. Israel said that the diplomats were captured by militia under Elie Hobeika. The Israeli newspaper Haaretz said that the diplomats were believed to be executed by Phalange shortly after their abduction. Geagea as well as Hobeika's bodyguard Robert Hatem also said that they were executed while under the Phalange's custody.: 157–159
The diplomats' disappearance is regularly commemorated in Iran. Both the Iranian and Lebanese governments have tried to gain information about their whereabouts. According to Nazih Mansour, former member of the Lebanese parliament, the case has turned into a political issue, rather than a judicial one since some of the involved people such as Samir Geagea have become political figures.