Iranians sign up to be suicide bombers

A GATHERING of Iranians who claim they are dedicated to becoming suicide bombers warned the US and Britain yesterday of attacks on coalition military bases in Iraq if there were a strike against Tehran’s nuclear facilities.

“We are ready to attack the American and British sensitive points if they attack Iran’s nuclear facilities,” said Mohammad Ali Samadi, spokesman of Esteshadion (Martyrdom Seekers).

“We have registered more than 52,000 people who willingly are ready to defend their country.

“If they strike, we have a lot of volunteers. Their (US and British) sensitive places are quite close to Iranian borders,” he said after a seminar on suicide-bombing tactics at Tehran’s Khajeh Nasir University.

At the seminar he praised it as the most effective Palestinian tactic against Israel.

Hasan Abbasi, the main speaker, also praised suicide bombers, but denounced attacks against “innocent people, as al-Qaida did in New York”.

After his speech, about 50 students filled out membership applications.

A 23-year-old woman student, Maryam Amereh, said: “We are trying to defend Islam. It’s a way to draw the attention of others to our activities.”

Those who join have three choices: to train for suicide attacks to defend Iran’s national interests; for suicide attacks against Israel; or the assassination of British author Salman Rushdie, who was sentenced to death by former Iranian leader Ayatollah Ruhollah Khomeini for his 1989 book, Satanic Verses.