Those of us who are old enough to remember and those who have only read about it in history books can surely recall the horrifying images of 55 American citizens who were held captive in Tehran for 444 days back in 1979. As the US and the world stood in abject horror, the newly installed radical Islamic regime in Iran, led by students stormed the US embassy and effectively brought “the giant to its knees.”

After former President Jimmy Carter played a proactive role in extricating the Shah of Iran from power, who, by the way, had maintained friendly relations with the US, and granted him asylum, the former ally morphed into a vitriolic enemy bent on furthering a anti-Western agenda. For starters, they paraded the American hostages before the international media while organizing acrimonious demonstrations against the US on a daily basis.

Despite a botched rescue attempt by the Carter administration, there was little reprieve from the dismal nightly broadcasts that were seared into our collective souls.

It goes without saying that over the decades Iran has not abandoned its terrorist manifesto nor has its tangible loathing towards the US and Israel waned. As the Islamic regime continues its uranium enrichment program with the objective of building an arsenal of nuclear weapons, it is clear that their latest move is geared toward once again humiliating the US with a figurative slap in the face.

Iranian President Hassan Rouhani has appointed Hamid Aboutalebi to the position of the rogue regime’s ambassador to the United Nations in New York. Just who is Aboutalebi and what is his background? Well, for starters, he was a member of the infamous and radically charged student group that besieged the US Consulate back in 1979 and personally held US citizens as hostages as he consistently mocked and derided the US. In addition, according to published reports he has a long record of cooperation with the revolutionary guards’ intelligence, as well as with other intelligence services of the regime.

Reports reveal that on March 16, 1993, Aboutalebi coordinated the assassination of Mohammad-Hossein Naghdi, the representative of the National Council of Resistance of Iran (NCRI). This claim has been substantiated on the investigations conducted by the Italian Judicial Police and eyewitness accounts.At the time of the assassination, Aboutalebi entered Italy using a pseudonym and forged documents to carry out the murder.

The police investigation, including accounts given by an informed witness, read:

“Naghdi’s murder should be considered a political one decided by Iranian government circles and in the framework of a general project to destroy the Resistance abroad. Naghdi is targeted in Italy because of the value and extent of his political activities in Italy. He was talented in establishing connections with senior figures in Italian political circles on a national scale; he had an unquestionable humanitarian character, and loved his struggle against the Iranian regime. This assassination was decided by high-ranking political-religious figures in Tehran, and the execution of the plan was tasked to a team that had entered Italy for this specific purpose. The team had a direct connection with the diplomatic representative in Italy, and in particular with Ambassador Aboutalebi.”

While we live in a mentally and morally defective culture that displays incredible tolerance and even acceptance of murderers, terrorists and miscreants of all stripes into the political arena, the appointment Hamid Aboutelabi as Iran’s UN ambassador must be protested in the strongest of terms.

Not surprisingly, the State Department has stated that it is troubled by Aboutelabi’s appointment but has not taken any concrete measures in denying him a visa. No doubt, the Obama administration wouldn’t deign to even entertain the notion of stepping on Iranian toes at such a pivotal diplomatic juncture when it is falling all over itself in efforts to stop new economic sanctions from being implemented against the regime.

The voices of truth and courage are a precious commodity in our times, but we applaud the prodigious efforts of Senators Mark Kirk (R-Ill) and Marco Rubio (R-FL) and others who have said that U.S. Ambassador Samantha Power should work closely with the U.N. to ensure Aboutalebi is denied entry.

It is also very clear that this well calculated move by Iran was an intentional insult to those surviving hostages, their families and every American as this ill conceived appointment once again crystallizes the agenda of the Iranian regime.

As Americans, we have the moral and ethical obligation to raise our voices in outrage and indignation of this perverse and reprehensible appointment.