Ahmadinejad Calls Victims of Plane Crash "Martyrs." Know Why?

Go ahead. Ask me now: Why, on earth, would Ahmadinejad refer to the seemingly innocent victims of the recent plane crash in Tehran as "martyrs?" It appears to me that, overall, western media is perplexed by his choice of words and has figured it to be part of his "outspoken" and quirky nature. I disagree with this analysis.

I will posit my theory now: After the 1979 revolution, the United States imposed sanctions on Iran. Part of these sanctions deal with the sale of aviation parts. Not only are U.S. businesses forbidden to have any kind of dealings with Iran, but furthermore, no foreign country is allowed to export to Iran any American-made aviation equipment or parts (or parts of which 10% were made in the US of A) without consequences from the US.

As such, the aviation industry in Iran struggles severely to maintain equipment that was purchased in the Mohammad Reza Shah era of American cooperation, because obviously a large portion of that equipment requires American-made parts. Say, for example, a certain C-130 transport plane owned and operated by the Iranian military that recently crashed into a building in Tehran.

Now, let's play the role of devil's advocate. If my military were responsible for sending a plane into the air that was knowingly in need of repair, but my government was unable to repair the plane because it lacked the parts needed to do so, how will I answer to the families of those who die, when that plane crashes?

I know! First, I'll see to the impeachment of my Defense Minister, Mostafa Mohammad-Najjar, and then I'll call the victims, "martyrs!" Yeah, that's the ticket! I'll use the sanctions that were imposed by the US to defend our decision to send a damaged plane into the air! It makes perfect sense!

You know, in all honesty, I'd call them martyrs too, if I had Former President Seyyed Mohammad Khatami backing my play. To be sure, he recently went so far as to specifically call the US airplane parts sanctions criminal. Or, as one Iranian editorial writer so eloquently put it, "What the former chief executive said shows that the US, which claims to be the most democratic country, is prepared to sacrifice other countries that do not have the same ideological background as that of Bush administration."

Okay. So that's why they're martyrs. Now I get it.