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Iranian nuclear physicist and missile specialist Mohsen Fachrisadeh (63) was shot and seriously injured in his car on Friday, according to the government. Shortly after he died in the hospital. The Iranian Ministry of Defense speaks of “martyr’s death”. Foreign Minister Javad Zarif reports “serious signs” of Israel’s involvement. So far, however, it has not been clear who was behind the attack.
According to media reports, Fachrisadeh was shot dead in Ab-Sard, a suburb east of the capital Tehran. According to local authorities, several attackers were also killed. The Defense Ministry said in an official statement on state television: “We hereby announce the known martyrdom of Dr. Mohsen Fachrisadeh. ”
Foreign Minister: “State Terror Act”
The nuclear physicist was a member of the Iranian Revolutionary Guard and an expert in missile manufacturing. According to information from the Iranian news agency Fars, the Israeli secret services have been trying to eliminate him for years. Most recently, Fachrisadeh headed the Department of Defense Research and Technology Renewal.
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu highlighted this in spring 2018 during a presentation on Iran’s nuclear program. “Take note of this name: Fachrisadeh,” Netanyahu said at the time. Iranian Foreign Minister Sarid is now appealing on Twitter, especially the European Union, “to renounce its shameful double standards and condemn this act of state terror”.
Moving away from the nuclear deal
Israel and Iran are bitter enemies. The collapse of Israel and the “liberation of Palestine” are part of the foreign policy doctrine of the Islamic Republic. The existence of the Jewish state is threatened by Shia Iran and its nuclear program. Iran’s supreme leader, Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, recently described Israel as a “tumor” that must be eradicated and removed by a jihad (holy war) by the Palestinians.
Under President Donald Trump, in 2018 the United States unilaterally terminated an international agreement designed to prevent Iran from building a nuclear bomb and imposed new sanctions on the Tehran government. After a one-year period, during which Tehran unsuccessfully urged the other contracting parties to abide by the treaty, Iran has also gradually ignored almost all provisions of the agreement. It is unclear whether the United States can return to the nuclear deal under newly elected president Joe Biden.
Mysterious series of fires and explosions
In the summer there was a mysterious series of fires and explosions in Iran. Among other things, it was a nuclear facility. The causes remained largely unclear. This left room for speculation, including about Israel as a possible creator.
The United States has not yet commented on Fachrisadeh’s assassination. However, President Trump relayed a tweet from Israeli journalist Yossi Melman about Fachrisadeh’s death via his Twitter account without comment. In it, Melman wrote that Fachrisadeh had been the head of the Iranian secret military program and had been wanted by the Israeli secret service Mossad for years. His death is a severe blow to Iran. Melman expressed himself in another “confused” tweet about Trump’s retweet.
Since the unilateral termination of the nuclear deal, Trump has waged a “maximum pressure” campaign with harsh sanctions to force Iran to negotiate a new deal with broader terms. The US punitive measures have exacerbated the economic and financial crisis in Iran. However, Tehran has stepped up enrichment of uranium. According to the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA), Iran now has more than 2,400 kilograms. A maximum of around 200 kilograms was agreed in the agreement.
Was Trump planning a military strike?
Last week, US media reported that high-ranking advisors had advised Trump not to take military action against an Iranian nuclear facility. The term of office of the elected president expires on January 20. Successor Biden has promised to return to the agreement, provided that Iran also adheres to the upper limits.
Meanwhile, on Friday, the spokesman for the Iranian nuclear organization AEOI created confusion with a comment on the first reports of death. “Our nuclear scientists are all healthy,” Behrus Kamalwandi of the Isna news agency said. Presumably, Fachrisadeh was no longer part of the AEOI, which would explain the denial. (SDA)
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