Iranian media reported on November 27 that Mohsen Fakhrizadeh, Iran’s premier nuclear scientist, was assassinated near the small town of Absard in eastern Tehran. According to eyewitnesses, a car in which Fakhrizadeh was riding was attacked. Witnesses heard explosions and machine gun fire.
Fakhrizadeh was a senior officer in Iran’s Revolutionary Guards and a professor of physics at Imam Hussein University in Tehran. He has been accused by Western intelligence services of having led the so-called “AMAD Project” before Iran’s nuclear weapons program was dismantled in the early 2000’s. He has also been suspected of having worked on the so-called “AMAD Project” since then. He has also been suspected of playing a pivotal role in Iran’s private efforts to develop nuclear weapons ever since. Fakhrizadeh has also been subject to asset freeze and travel notification requirements by the UN Security Council throughout his life. According to the Security Council, the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) requested a visit to him, but the authorities in Tehran refused.
Israeli Prime Minister Netanyahu named Fakhrizadeh in a press conference, saying, “Remember this name. Israel declined to comment on the news of his assassination. Iranian state-run television has confirmed Fahrizade’s death and said it would provide more detailed information later. The semi-official Fars news agency reported that the attack took place in the small city of Abu-Sad, east of the capital Tehran. According to the report, witnesses heard an explosion, followed by machine gun fire. The target of the attack was a car in which Fahrezaad was riding.
After the attack, the wounded, including Fahrizadeh’s bodyguards, were later taken to local hospitals. The Iranian state television website published a photo of security forces blocking the road. Photos and videos shared online show a Nissan with bullet holes in its windshield and blood pooling on the road. “Unfortunately, the medical team did not succeed in resurrecting him and a few minutes ago, the manager and the scientist achieved the high status of martyr after years of efforts and struggle,” the Iranian Armed Forces statement said.
An IRGC commander also tweeted that Iran will avenge the killing of the scientist as it has done in the past. No group has immediately claimed responsibility for the attack. However, Iranian media outlets have taken note of Netanyahu’s previous statements about Fakhrizadeh. Also according to a statement issued by the Iranian Defense Ministry, Fahrizadeh was wounded in a gun battle between his bodyguards and “armed terrorists” on Friday afternoon and died in the hospital. The statement said Fahrizadeh was the head of the Defense Ministry’s “Research and Innovation Organization.”
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