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Six years before the assassination of Iranian nuclear scientist Mohsen Fakhrizadeh in Tehran, Reuters published a report on this mysterious person and his role in the ongoing nuclear research in his country.
The report, released in 2014, a year before the signing of the nuclear deal between Tehran and the 5 + 1 group, indicated that Fakhrizadeh tops the list of “elusive” officials from Iran and other countries with whom the International Atomic Energy Agency was seeking dialogue, noting that some Iranian opponents Exiles described this scientist as the mastermind behind covert efforts to build the nuclear bomb for Iran.
According to data from the opposition National Council of Resistance of Iran, Fakhrizadeh was born in the city of Qom in 1958 and until then held the position of Deputy Minister of Defense and the rank of Major General of the Revolutionary Guard. He earned a doctorate in nuclear engineering and was a professor at Imam Hussein University.
Fakhrizadeh was the only Iranian official whose name appeared in the famous report issued by the International Atomic Energy Agency in 2011, which said that “the scientist who was considered a prominent officer in the Revolutionary Guard was a key figure in previous efforts to Iran to develop technology and acquire the necessary knowledge to produce nuclear bombs and possibly still plays some role in this area. “
According to these reports, in 2002-2003, Fakhrizadeh headed the executive director of “Project Amad”, which, according to IAEA data, was responsible for conducting uranium and explosives related research and upgrading missiles to equip them with nuclear warheads.
“Reuters” quoted a source familiar with the intelligence as confirming that Fakhrizadeh opposed the decision to shut down “Project Amad”, which showed his commitment to the development of the military nuclear program in his country.
Even when the IAEA report was released in 2011, Fakhrizadeh ran the Center for Research and Technology that he ran until his assassination today.
Fakhrizadeh’s name was also mentioned in a UN resolution issued in 2007 as a person involved in nuclear or ballistic activities in Iran.
“Reuters” quoted a Western diplomat as saying: “If Iran decides to militarize (enrichment operations), Fakhri Zadeh will be known as the father of the nuclear bomb.”
The media report noted that an atmosphere of secrecy surrounded the world, which avoided appearing in front of the public except in rare cases, indicating that only a few people outside of Iran were aware of its appearance.
In turn, a senior Iranian source described Fakhrizadeh in an interview with “Reuters” as an expert who adheres to Iran’s technological progress and has the full support of Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei.
The source said Fakhrizadeh had three passports and made many trips abroad, especially to Asian countries, to obtain “the latest information from abroad”, without giving further explanations. Reuters suggested that these trips may have been related to the acquisition of materials needed for nuclear research. On the international black market.
The agency quoted an intelligence source in one of the member states of the International Atomic Energy Agency as saying that Fakhrizadeh was “a highly qualified manager who earned the loyalty of those who worked with him.”
A diplomatic source familiar with the matter told Reuters that the Iranian government, in response to repeated requests from the Nuclear Atomic Energy Agency to question Fakhrizadeh as part of the investigation into Tehran’s allegations of prohibited nuclear activities, admitted the existence of this mysterious scientist but refused to comply with these demands, saying that he is an officer. Military and has nothing to do with the nuclear program.
“Reuters” suggested that Iran’s refusal may be explained by security concerns, especially after a series of killings of nuclear scientists in Iran in 2010 and 2012.
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