[ad_1]
Published in: Last update:
Tehran (AFP)
Iran will discuss the nature of the response to the assassination of prominent nuclear scientist Mohsen Fakhrizadeh, whom Israel has accused of being behind him, on Sunday with the beginning of a ceremony in his honor before his funeral scheduled for tomorrow.
The assassination of one of the Islamic Republic’s leading scholars has reopened the debate over Iran’s nuclear obligations. Members of the Shura Council unanimously signed after a closed session on Sunday, a statement calling for a response to the assassination and to prevent inspectors from the International Atomic Energy Agency from entering the country’s facilities.
On Friday, Iran announced the “martyrdom” of Fakhri Zadeh for his injuries, shortly after he was targeted by “terrorist elements” who attacked his car and fought bullets with his companions, in the city of Agosto, Damavand province, east of Tehran.
The scientist was the head of the Research and Innovation Organization at the Iranian Defense Ministry.
The body of the deceased arrived on Saturday night in the city of Mashhad in northeastern Iran, to perform a bypass and pray for him at the Razavi shrine, according to the official “IRNA” news agency.
And on Sunday, the body was transferred to the Fatimid shrine in the city of Qom, south of Tehran, and then to the shrine of Imam Khomeini in the Iranian capital, local media showed.
Fakhrizadeh will be buried on Monday after a ceremony attended by family members and several military commanders, the Defense Ministry said on its website, without providing further details.
President Hassan Rouhani accused Israel on Saturday of being behind the assassination, seeking to create “chaos.”
While Rouhani emphasized the response “in a timely manner”, the Supreme Leader of the Islamic Republic, Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, emphasized the need to “punish” those involved in the murder and continue the activities that Fakhrizadeh was carrying out.
“The Iranian nation is smarter than falling into the conspiracy trap set by the Zionists,” Rouhani said. “They are thinking of creating chaos, but they must realize that we have exposed their tricks and will not achieve their sinister goals.”
Today, the Shura Council held a closed-door session attended by Intelligence Minister Mahmoud Alawi to discuss “the murder investigation,” according to the “ISNA” agency.
The president of the council, Muhammad Baqer Qalibaf, called on state television for a “strong reaction” to the murder, which would contribute to the “deterrence and revenge” of those involved.
In its editorial on Sunday, the conservative newspaper “Kayhan” demanded that the Jewish state be attacked if it is “proven” to be involved in the murder.
The newspaper called for “attacking the port of Haifa (…) in a way that destroys its infrastructure and causes a human cost,” which will definitely lead to “achieving deterrence because the United States and the Zionist regime (…) they are in no way prepared to go to war. “
The Hebrew state has yet to officially comment on the operation.
– ‘Close all roads’ –
On Saturday morning, Rouhani said that Israel had played the role of “agent” in the assassination of “global arrogance,” a phrase that Iranian officials often use to refer to the United States.
The US State Department placed Fakhri Zadeh on the sanctions list in 2008 for “activities and operations that contributed to the development of Iran’s nuclear program,” while Israel previously accused him, through its Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, of being behind a “military” nuclear program that Tehran denies its existence.
The assassination occurred about two months before Biden took office, and it was he who promised to “turn the tide” from his predecessor, Donald Trump, with Iran. The latter adopted a policy of “maximum pressure” against Tehran, which especially included the unilateral withdrawal in 2018 of the agreement on its nuclear program and the reimposition of tough economic sanctions.
After nearly a year of withdrawal, Tehran reversed most of the basic obligations of the agreement, but continued to allow IAEA inspectors to visit the sites.
In Sunday’s statement, the Shura Council saw that the United States, Israel and their allies had become “bold” in their “terror and sabotage” against Iran, leading to the assassination of Fakhrizadeh.
The council said the “best response” would be to “revive the Iranian nuclear industry” and suspend the additional protocol attached to the nuclear deal, which provides a wider margin for inspectors to inspect Iranian facilities.
The statement, which was unanimously signed by the deputies, called for preventing inspectors from entering the sites, according to the Shura Council news agency “ICANA.”
Several MPs had previously accused the inspectors of playing the role of “spies” and obtaining information that may have contributed to Fakhrizadeh’s murder.
However, on behalf of the Iranian Atomic Energy Organization, Behrouz Kamalondi, highlighted in statements published by the “IRNA” agency on Saturday night, that any change in the nature of the inspectors’ work “depends on the issuance of a decision by the highest authorities in this regard. “
In statements reported by the agency “Tasnim”, Tehran MP Mahmoud Naboyan expressed “distrust” in international inspectors and noted that “in addition to visits, we will prevent them from conducting interviews with Iranian experts and academics.”
He added: “In the case of the martyr Fakhri Zadeh, the enemy could have identified him through two methods, the first is remote intelligence and the second is direct interview. Although no interview was recorded, all the paths that could lead to the identification of the scholars must be closed “.
The discussion on the role of inspectors began on Friday, after tweets by MP Jawad Karimi Qudusi, in which he accused Rouhani of organizing a meeting between Fakhri Zadeh and officials of the International Atomic Energy Agency. But Kamalondi denied it, according to “IRNA.”
© 2020 AFP
