On July 4 of that year, Ahmad Motovasselian, a military attaché at Iran's Embassy in Beirut, Mohsen Mousavi, the Iranian chargé d'affaires in Lebanon, Taqi Rastegar Moqaddam, an embassy employee, and Kazem Akhavan, a photographer for the Islamic Republic News Agency (IRNA), were kidnapped.

Their whereabouts have remained unknown since then. Iran believes that they were abducted by an armed group and transferred to Israeli-occupied territories to be handed over to the regime’s forces.

In a statement on Saturday, the IRGC condemned the abduction, saying that the Israeli regime is legally, politically, and criminally responsible for the kidnapping due to its presence in Lebanon as an occupying power at that time, according to the IRGC’s news website Sepah News. 

The IRGC honored the abductees as national heroes and expressed sympathy with their families, reiterating its commitment to continue the path of those flag-bearers of resistance.

Despite Iran's diplomatic, political, and legal efforts, international organizations have not taken effective action regarding the abduction, the statement read. Therefore, it added, the IRGC reminds the United Nations, the Human Rights Council, and the International Committee of the Red Cross (IRGC) of their responsibilities in this case, urging them to undertake effective, and non-selective follow-ups.

The IRGC also appreciated the efforts made by Lebanon, while calling for more serious measures and suggesting the formation of a joint fact-finding committee in cooperation with international organizations.

Earlier on Saturday, the Iranian Foreign Ministry issued a separate statement, calling the 1982 abduction as a terrorist act.