“Who are the men in this photo?”

Even before the results of the ballot, Mahmud Ahmadineyad was at the center of controversies regarding his past. He makes no secret of his revolutionary past. But still there are questions as to whether he was one of the hostage-holders during the occupation of the United States Embassy in Tehran in 1979-1980 and his involvement in the assassination of three dissident Kurdish in Vienna in 1989.
The allegations about being one of the hostage-holders in the United States embassy were quickly rejected since two men, who based on photos were presented as Ahmadineyad, died and have been clearly identified. All militants at that time involved in the hostage-holding and who are still alive claim that Ahmadineyad was not involved. Besides, contrary to Rafsandjani, he was opposed to the raid because he saw it as a maneuver by the pro Soviet left to provoke a clash between Tehran and Washington. But even if it is proven that he was not involved in the embassy episode, after the adoption of the Algiers agreements, he could not be tried for such hostage-holding.
In turn, his presence at the assassination of the three dissident Kurdish in 1989 in Vienna was established. Ahmadineyad was even wounded and spent a day at the Vienna hospital before being whisked for Iran with a diplomatic passport. He was the representative of Alí Jamenei to these three men. That is something which could be clearly heard from the cassettes taped by the Kurdish. The end of the last discussions is gunshots. However, the Austrian police found Ahmadineyad wounded. He was not kidnapped by the killers. Was he aware of what would happen to him? Was he expected to be sacrificed? Only him can provide us with the information.