Representative image (scientist was allegedly killed near Tehran) | Photo credit: AP
Key points
- Tasnim News, affiliated with the state, reported that it was an explosion followed by a shooting
- Mohsen Fakhrizadeh had previously survived an assassination attempt.
Tehran: An Iranian nuclear scientist was killed near Tehran. Soon after, Iran blamed the “Israeli role” for the assassination. Mohsen Fakhrizadeh, a prominent Iranian scientist, was killed near Tehran, Press TV, an international Iranian news network, said in a tweet. Morad News reported that Fakhrizadeh had survived another assassination attempt years ago.
“Terrorists today assassinated an eminent Iranian scientist. This cowardice with serious indications of the Israeli role shows a desperate warmongering of the perpetrators. Iran calls on the international community to end its shameful double standards and condemn this act of state terror,” he said. the Minister of Foreign Affairs of Iran.
According to the Iranian front page, Fakhrizadeh and his bodyguard were killed in the Absard region of Davamand. Fakhrizadeh was a high-profile figure in Iranian political / strategic circles and was a Professor of Physics at Imam Hussein University. He was also a senior scientist in the Ministry of Defense and Logistics of the Iranian Armed Forces.
Previous reports, citing the commander of Iran’s revolutionary guard, suggested that Iran has vowed to avenge the scientist’s murders, “as it has in the past.”
The state news agency Tasnim reported that Fakhrizadeh was the only Iranian scientist cited by Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu. The agency also said there were several attempts to assassinate him in the past.
According to IFE News, the claims of a suicide bomber were “false”. In a video shared by the news portal, updated reports claimed that the scientist died after an explosion and a shooting. According to IFE News, Fakhrizadeh’s assets were frozen by the United Nations Security Council (UNSC) and he was subject to travel notification requirements as the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) had tried to interview him and Iran had been refused to authorize it.
