Iran VP Blames Drug Trade On "Zionists"

First The Beatles, now the "Zionists." Just 24 hours after Russia's health minister blamed his country's drug epidemic on the fab four, Iran's Vice President Mohammad-Reza Rahimi has held the Talmud, a central text of Judaism, responsible for the spread of illegal drugs around the world. The comments were made in front of European diplomats during an international anti-drug conference in Tehran that was co-sponsored by the UN. Rahimi went on to say that the Zionists—by which he meant Jews who support the state of Israel—were directly responsible for the global illegal drug trade. Iran's fight to stop drugs crossing its border with Afghanistan is one of very few Iranian policies to win support from the West—but Rahimi's speech has seemingly put a swift end to that. “The Islamic Republic of Iran will pay for anybody who can research and find one single Zionist who is an addict,” said Rahimi. “They do not exist. This is the proof of their involvement in drugs trade.” Right. The response to the speech from everyone in attendance—including the Iranian participants—was reported to be unanimously negative. “This was definitely one of the worst speeches I have heard in my life," says one European diplomat who wishes to remain anonymous. "My gut reaction was: why are we supporting any cooperation with these people?”