Buenos Aires, Aug 22 (DPA) The nomination of Ahmad Vahidi to head the Iranian Defence Ministry spurred protests in Argentina, where Justice officials have accused him of being involved in the 1984 bombing of the Jewish mutual association AMIA, which left 85 dead.

Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad Thursday sought parliamentary approval for his 21-member cabinet, which includes Vahidi, ISNA news agency reported. Parliament is to start debating the new appointees Aug 30.

Alberto Nisman, an Argentine public prosecutor who is investigating the bombing, said that 'this designation would be extremely serious'.

'Ahmad Vahidi is someone who, as a former commander of the Al Quds special group, is extremely compromised with relation to the attack on the AMIA headquarters,' Nisman said.

The AMIA headquarters in the central Buenos Aires neighbourhood of Once was bombed on July 18, 1994, injuring hundreds of people. Two years earlier, another bombing, against the Israeli embassy in central Buenos Aires left 29 people dead.

Argentine justice officials have asked Interpol to arrest Vahidi, arguing that he was one of five high Iranian officials who took part in a meeting where the bombing was decided.

'Vahidi not only is the object of an arrest warrant issued by Argentine Justice, but he is also one of those people whose red notice was approved by Interpol with votes in favour from the great majority of its members at a General Assembly meeting held in Morocco in November 2007,' the prosecutor told the Jewish News Agency.