TEHRAN, Iran (AP) – A senior Iranian security official on Monday accused Israel of using electronic devices to assassinate a scientist who founded the Islamic Republic’s military nuclear program in the 2000s.
Ali Shamkhani, secretary of the country’s Supreme National Security Council, made the remarks at the funeral of Mohsen Fakhrizadeh, where Iran’s defense minister vowed to continue the man’s work “with more speed and more force.”
Israel, a longtime suspect in the killing of Iranian nuclear scientists over the past decade, has repeatedly refused to comment on the attack.
Fakhrizadeh led Iran’s so-called Amad program, which Israel and the West have accused of military action in view of the possibility of developing a nuclear weapon. The International Atomic Energy Agency says the “structured program” ended in 2003. U.S. intelligence agencies agreed with the assessment in a 2007 report.
Israel has insisted that Iran still maintains ambitions to develop nuclear weapons, turn its attention to Tehran’s ballistic missile program and research other technologies. Iran has long maintained that its nuclear program is peaceful.
Shamkhani’s remarks drastically changed the story of Fakhrizadeh’s murder on Friday. Authorities initially said a truck exploded and then gunmen opened fire on the scientist, killing him. State TV also interviewed a man on the night of the attack, who described the gunman watching the open fire.
State TV’s English-language press TV reported early Wednesday that a weapon with “logos and specifications of the Israeli military industry” had been found at the scene of the attack. State TV’s Arabic-language channel, Al-Alam, claimed that the weapons used were “controlled by satellite”, a claim made by the Semifoffial Fars News Agency on Sunday.
None of the outlets immediately provided evidence to support their claims.
“Unfortunately, the operation was very complex and was carried out using electronic devices,” Shamkhani told state TV. “No one was present on the site.”
Satellite control of weapons is nothing new. Armed, for example, long-range drones rely on satellite connections to be controlled by their remote pilots. Remote-control gun tarts also exist, but usually see their operator connected to a hard line to reduce the delay in relaying commands.
At the time it was technically possible, it was not immediately clear if such a system had been used before, said Jeremy Binny, mediast editor of Jane’s Defense Weekly.
“Can you set up a weapon with a camera that then has a feed that the controller uses an open satellite communications line?” Said Binny. “I can’t see why that’s not possible.”
It also raised the question of whether the truck that exploded during the attack later exploded to try and destroy the satellite-controlled machine gun hidden inside it. Iranian officials did not immediately acknowledge it. He will need anyone on the ground to arrange the weapon.
Shamkhani also accused the Iranian deportation group Mujahideen-e-Khalaq of “playing a role” in this without giving details. MEK did not immediately respond to a request for comment.
Monday’s service for Fahrizadeh took place at an outdoor part of Iran’s defense ministry in Tehran, with Revolutionary Guards chief General Hussein Salami, the guard’s Kuds Force leader General Ismail Ghani, civil nuclear chief Ali Akbar Sahi and intelligence minister. . They sat apart and wore masks because of the coronavirus epidemic as the reciters recited parts of the Koran and religious texts melodiously.
Defense Minister General Amir Hatami delivered the speech after kissing Fakhrizadeh’s casket and bowing his head in front of him. He said Fakhrizadeh’s assassination would make Iranians “more organized, more determined.”
“To continue your journey, we will continue with more speed and more power,” Hatmi said in comments broadcast live on state television.
Hatami also criticized countries that did not condemn Fakhrizadeh’s assassination, warning: “This will one day meet with you.” Overnight, the United Arab Emirates, which has just reached a normalization deal with Israel, issued a statement condemning the “declared assassination.” The UAE, based in Abu Dhabi and Dubai, warned that “conflict in the region could escalate further.”
Last year, the UAE found itself in the midst of a growing series between Iran and the United States, although despite long-standing doubts about Iran’s nuclear program, the emirate has said it wants to escalate the crisis. The UAE has just started air service to Israel and Israeli passengers and is likely to have a vacation in the country on Hanukkah in the coming days.
Meanwhile, the director general of the Israeli Foreign Ministry, Elon Ospiz, has called for maintaining a “high level of readiness and awareness of any irregular activity” around the mission and Jewish community centers.
Israeli Hebrew-speaking media have reported that the Foreign Ministry has ordered increased security on some Israeli diplomatic missions abroad following Fakhrizadeh’s assassination. The ministry declined to comment on diplomatic security matters.
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Gambler reports from Dubai, United Arab Emirates. Ilan Ben Zion, an Associated Press writer in Jerusalem, contributed to this report.
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