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A high-ranking nuclear scientist was killed in Iran. The background is still unclear. Tehran sees Israel behind the attack, which could further destabilize the region.
By Karin Senz, ARD Studio Istanbul
A damaged windshield of a dark limousine, debris and blood on the street – these images have dominated the Iranian news since yesterday afternoon. Mohsen Fachrisade and his bodyguards on their way from the small town of Absard to Tehran, Defense Minister Amir Hatami describes the course of the night’s events: “His car was first shot and after about 10 to 15 seconds , a Nissan with explosives is about 15 to 20 meters It exploded away from his car. He was injured. “
So bad that he dies in the hospital shortly after. Alireza Yavari from the University of Tehran reacts harshly on the Al Jazeera television station: “Mr. Fachrisadeh was a respected and upright scientist, a university professor who worked with the civil and military industries, like many other scientists throughout the world. His murder cannot be taken as a defense because he did not have an active position in the army. That is why this is terrorism and that is to condemn. “
Several assassination attempts already
Fachrisadeh was a nuclear physicist. He is considered the father of the Iranian nuclear program. This was officially suspended in the early 2000s. More recently, the 63-year-old headed the department of research and technological innovation at the Ministry of Defense. In Iran it is said that he died as a martyr. It was not the first attempt against him.
Iranian Foreign Minister Accuses Israel
Iranian Foreign Minister Zarif writes on Twitter about the desperate warmongering of the perpetrators and a cowardly act, with serious signs of Israel’s role. This suspicion is fueled by a statement by Israeli President Benjamin Netanyahu. In 2018 he spoke in detail about the role of Fachrisadeh on television and warns: “Remember the name Mohsen Fachrisadeh.”
No one has heard of the attack so far. Israel was long suspected of murdering four Iranian nuclear scientists between 2010 and 2012. It feels its existence is threatened by the nuclear program.
What role does the United States play?
US Middle East expert Hillary Mann Leverett goes even further in an interview with Al Jazeera about the current attack: “There is good reason to be suspicious of Israel, and perhaps even the United States is involved. After all, officials are involved. Americans have announced that they are using the time leading up to the end of the Trump administration and the beginning of the Biden administration to punish Iran by all means and halt its progress in nuclear and other areas. “
The current attack on Fachrisadeh is reminiscent of the assassination of Iranian General Kassem Soleimani last January. At the time, US President Donald Trump made no secret of the fact that he had ordered the attack. That almost led to war between the two countries. Trump recently considered attacking a nuclear facility in Iran.
His successor Joe Biden, on the other hand, plans to return to a nuclear deal with Iran: “I think they want to stoke tensions, especially in this intermediate phase between the end of the Trump administration and the start of the Biden administration.”
Tensions in the region could escalate
In Iran, calls for revenge are louder. Alireza Yavari, from the University of Tehran, points out another danger in Al-Jazeera: “Some countries in the region could force Iran into a military confrontation. This could further exacerbate tensions, so that Iran and the United States have no points. in common. Find. “
Iran’s response depends on who is behind the assassination, Yavari says. “If it turns out that it was a foreign secret service, that complicates the situation. And I do not consider ruling out that there is an adequate military response.”
That should make it difficult for President Hassan Rouhani to return to the negotiating table with Biden. Not only Israel, but also the hardliners in Iran absolutely want to avoid this.
