Iran-Iraq war

General was a hero of the Iran-Iraq war

shirazi was the representative of Ayatollah Ali Khamenei. While Khamenei is nominally the supreme commander of the armed forces, shirazi as deputy chief of staff, was the army's acting commander. He had also directed most of Iran's ground campaign during the 1980-88 Iran-Iraq war, and was awarded the country's highest military decoration—the "al-Fatah" medal.

Iran blames west for "contradictory behavior"

Iran has accused the United States and Europe of operating a double standard with regard the Mojahedin Khalq. The MKO has offices in the United States and in several European capitals, and has been known to carry out fund-raising activities in Western countries. In the U.S. the group has gained a measure of respectability, despite the fact that it is on the State Department's list of terrorist organizations. Iran's Foreign Ministry blamed the West for its "contradictory behavior," saying "the countries that have become a haven for terrorists are encouraging this group to commit such crimes by not taking serious action."