Iranian envoy says 17,161 Iranian citizens "martyred" by terrorist groups in 40 years
Source:Xinhua Published: 2019/7/10 10:52:41
An Iranian envoy said Tuesday that 17,161 Iranian citizens have been "martyred" by foreign-backed terrorist groups in the past four decades.
"In the past four decades, 17,161 Iranian citizens, including almost 200 high-ranking political figures, among them one president, one prime minister, one judiciary chief, one deputy chief of armed forces and 27 members of parliament, as well as four nuclear scientists, have been martyred by foreign-backed terrorist groups," Iran's ambassador to the United Nations Majid Takht Ravanchi told the Security Council's open debate on the linkage between international terrorism and organized crime.
"Iran is the victim of the activities of both terrorist groups and transnational criminals. At the same time, we are at the forefront of combating both menaces," the ambassador noted.
Mujahedin-e Khalq Organization (MKO), which is responsible for the killing of at least 12,000 Iranian civilians and many Iraqi citizens, as well as a number of other nationalities, "continues to receive funds from certain countries in the region while enjoying the support of certain states including in Europe," he said.
