An Argentine judge on Monday formally charged seven Iranians and a Lebanese citizen for their alleged involvement in the 1994 bombing of a Jewish community center in Buenos Aires.
The decision marks another step toward a possible trial in absentia over the attack on July 18 that year, which killed 85 people and injured 300 more.
No one has ever been arrested over the bombing of the Argentine Israelite Mutual Association (AMIA), which is considered one of the worst tragedies in the South American country's history.
"The decision to carry out the attack was made in August 1993 by the highest echelons of the Iranian regime and entrusted to Hezbollah," Judge Daniel Rafecas wrote in a statement.
Seven of the defendants held high-ranking positions in the Iranian state when the attack occurred.
The Lebanese national was a Hezbollah member.
Two other defendants were removed from the case due to lack of evidence.
A trial is now a real possibility, but the charged individuals may appeal the indictment.
"There's still a whole process to go through," Rafecas told AFP, noting other necessary procedural steps before a trial could happen.
Argentine President Javier Milei, a staunch ally of Israel, celebrated the decision on social media.
"Morality as State Policy," he wrote on X.
Argentina and Israel have long pointed the finger at Iran as the perpetrator of the attack, which Tehran has always denied.
In a move backed by Milei's right-wing administration, Argentine courts authorized the possibility of a trial in absentia last year.
The attack on AMIA occurred just two years after a bomb at the Israeli embassy in Buenos Aires claimed 29 lives.
Monday's ruling suggested that the two incidents could be related. It sought the Argentine Supreme Court's opinion on potentially linking the two cases given Hezbollah's alleged involvement in both.
Argentina is home to Latin America's largest Jewish community.
