Blowing up children, if necessary

The AP has an interesting description of the Iranian suicide bomb celebration yesterday:

TEHRAN, Iran -- Under a banner showing coffins draped with American, British and Israeli flags, more than 100 Iranian men and women pledged Thursday to become suicide bombers - if necessary - to defend their country and Islam.

Has there ever been a sentence that needed scare quotes more than this one?

Yet AP plays it straight. It is almost as if they believe that blowing up women and children, on purpose, thousands of miles away from your country, is sometimes a necessary part of defending your land or your religion.