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Iranian nuclear physicist Mohsen Fachrisadeh, 63, was shot and killed in a Tehran suburb on Friday. He was buried today. The Iranian leadership blames the United States and Israel for the attack.
Adnan tabatabai
Experts in Iran
SRF News: Iran wants retaliation “at the right time.” What does that mean?
Adnan Tabatabai: That means you don’t want to act immediately or you don’t want to expose yourself to the pressure of having to act immediately. In the political context with a very radical US administration and the situation in the region, Iran wonders if this is the right time to retaliate.
Could it also be that there is no retaliation at all?
Nothing may happen until US President Joe Biden is inaugurated. Iran is playing on this ambiguity to increase the psychological pressure.
Even after General Ghassem Soleimani’s death, nothing happened. Isn’t the Iranian leadership getting amazing?
There has been criticism from various sides of the political spectrum that this formula of strategic patience can be interpreted as a weakness. However, in the case of General Soleimani in particular, it was agreed that the Americans would be driven out of the Middle East as revenge. This is a long term project.
According to a report on Iranian television, an Israeli weapon was used in the attack. Do you know who is behind the attack?
It is communicated quite clearly that it was Israeli intelligence. Regardless of this, there is a report in the “New York Times” which refers to intelligence sources in the United States, which were the Israelis.
Why the Israelis and not the Americans or anyone else?
On the one hand, I think Israeli politics are more likely to claim the right to kill an Iranian nuclear scientist than American intelligence. Israelis see themselves more threatened by the Iranian nuclear program. On the other hand, it is more conceivable that the Israeli foreign intelligence service Mossad carries out operations in the region. But he must have coordinated it with Washington.
How does this affect the Iranian nuclear program?
Technically, this shouldn’t have any effect. With Fachrisadeh a prominent nuclear researcher died. But it has institutionalized the orientation of the nuclear program in recent years. They knew it was a possible target, and working with a new generation of researchers has been designed so that a single death doesn’t change anything.
Mohsen Fachrisadeh was considered the head of Iranian nuclear strategy and was buried today. The ceremony was broadcast live on state television. The perpetrators have not yet been identified, but the Iranian leadership blames local American and Israeli mercenaries for the attack.
Keystone
Will the nuclear program continue as before?
Will continue. In many discussions in Tehran, as well as internationally, it is assumed that this assassination was not aimed at the nuclear program. But to avoid that there could be a political rapprochement between Tehran and Washington with Joe Biden. Because for the regional rivals of Iran, Israel, but also Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates, it is always a concern that Iran improves economically and again appears stronger internationally. That is exactly what happened with the 2015 nuclear deal.
Is there any hope that the agreement will be revived if there is no retaliation and the new president of the United States is installed?
There is a possibility. In both Washington and Tehran there will be people in government who know exactly what it is that moves the other side. At the same time, there will be many actors who want to avoid rapprochement.
The interview was conducted by Beat Soltermann.
