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An Iranian nuclear scientist was killed by a car-mounted remote-controlled machine gun, the country’s semi-official Fars news agency reported.
Al Alam, the Arabic channel of Iranian state television, has made a similar claim claiming that “satellite-controlled” weapons were used in the murder of Mohsen Fakhrizadeh on Friday.
However, the channel has not said what kind of weapons were used.
Minister of Foreign Affairs of Iran has blamed Israel for the attack near the capital, Tehran.
Fakhrizadeh was riding in a bulletproof car alongside three security personnel vehicles when he heard what sounded like bullets hitting his car, Fars reported Sunday.
It is said that he got out of the vehicle to see what had happened.
A Nissan equipped with a remote-controlled machine gun opened fire on Fakhrizadeh from about 150 meters away, Fars reports.
A view of the road where Mr. Fakhrizadeh was killed
The Iranian news agency added that Fakhrizadeh was hit at least three times in an attack that lasted around three minutes.
Al Alam and Fars have not immediately provided evidence to support their claims.
However, Ali Shamkhani, the secretary of Iran’s Supreme National Security Council, has also said that Israel used “electronic devices” to kill Fakhrizadeh.
Shamkhani made the claims while speaking at the scientist’s funeral on Monday.
Iran’s English-language Press TV reported that a weapon recovered from the scene of the attack bore “the logo and specifications of the Israeli military industry.”
Iranian authorities had initially said that a truck exploded before gunmen opened fire. Witnesses told state television that they saw armed men on the ground during the attack.
Israel, suspected of killing Iranian nuclear scientists over the past decade, has declined to comment on the attack.
Fakhrizadeh’s funeral took place in an outdoor area at the Iranian Defense Ministry in Tehran.
The scientist founded Iran’s military nuclear program two decades ago.
The United States and Israel have alleged that the program was a military operation that sought the viability of building a nuclear weapon.
Israel insists that Iran has ambition to develop such weapons, pointing to Tehran’s ballistic missile program and research into other technologies.
Iran has long maintained that its nuclear program is peaceful.
In response to the assassination, Iran’s parliament has begun a review of a bill that would halt inspections by the International Atomic Energy Agency.
British Foreign Secretary Dominic Raab told Sky’s Sophy Ridge program on Sunday: “We are concerned about the situation in Iran and the region in general. We want to see a decrease in tensions.”
“We are still waiting to see the full facts of what happened in Iran, but I would say that we abide by the rule of international humanitarian law, which is very clear against civilians.”
