As minister of the Revolutionary Guards in the 1980s, Rafiqdoost played a key role in sponsoring Hezbollah in Lebanon--which kidnapped foreigners, hijacked airplanes, set off car bombs, trafficked in heroin and pioneered the use of suicide bombers.
The breakthrough was announced in a corridor of the cavernous U.S. Capitol building, which was devoid of all but security guards, reporters and key congressional aides.