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Iran’s supreme leader, Khamenei, threatened revenge after attacking a senior nuclear scientist. He and President Rouhani blame the United States and Israel for the attack.
Tehran’s leadership promised retaliation after the attack on a senior Iranian nuclear scientist. The country’s supreme leader, Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, has called for “decisive punishment” for the perpetrators and those behind them.
In the morning, President Hassan Rouhani also spoke at a cabinet meeting. “Global arrogance” – with Israel “as a mercenary” – is responsible for the death of nuclear physicist Mohsen Fachrisadeh. Global arrogance refers to the United States.
The attack shows the desperation of Iran’s enemies and the depth of their hatred. “Once again, imperialism and its Zionist mercenaries caused bloodshed and the death of an Iranian scientist,” Rouhani told state television. This “terrorist attack” only demonstrates the fear of Tehran’s enemies for the technological progress of the Islamic Republic. However, the killing will not stop the country from pursuing Fachrisadeh’s path even more consistently, the president said. “His martyrdom will not slow down our successes”.
The nuclear program must be continued
According to the Iranian nuclear chief, the attack will not stop or affect the progress of the country’s nuclear program. “Fachrisadeh’s path will now continue even more intensely,” said Ali-Akbar Salehi. Communications Minister Mohamed Jawad Asari Jahromi issued a similar statement. “Thousands of people will grow back for the one flower plucked,” the minister tweeted.
Shot in the car, he died in the hospital
According to Iranian state media, nuclear scientist Fachrisadeh died on Friday after an attack near the capital Tehran. According to Defense Minister Amir Hatami, Fachrisadeh and his bodyguards were on their way from the town of Absard to Tehran. “His car was hit first, and after about 10-15 seconds a Nissan with explosives exploded about 15-20 meters from his car,” Hatami said of the sequence of events. The TV channels showed images of a dark limo with a burnt windshield, debris and blood on the street.
Fachrisadeh is considered to be the father of the Iranian nuclear program, which was officially discontinued in the early 2000s. The US and Israel assume that Iran will try to push the program forward. Most recently, Fachrisadeh headed the Department of Defense Research and Technology Renewal. In a tweet, Khamenei describes him as one of the country’s foremost scientists in the nuclear and defense sectors.
Suspicion against Israel
So far no one has known about the attack on the scientist. The Iranian secret services and the Revolutionary Guard (IRGC) have started the investigation.
Iranian suspicions against Israel are fueled by a statement by Israeli President Benjamin Netanyahu. In 2018 he spoke at length about Fachrisadeh’s role on television and warned: “Remember the name Mohsen Fachrisadeh.”
According to a New York Times report, an American official and two other intelligence officials apparently confirmed that Israel was behind the attack. They did not provide further details.
The assassination could jeopardize the talks on the nuclear program
The scientist’s death could exacerbate the conflict between Iran and its opponents in the last weeks of US President Donald Trump’s mandate. At the same time, the incident of Trump’s designated successor Joe Biden risks complicating efforts to revive détente since the days of US President Barack Obama.
Alireza Yavari of the University of Tehran told Al Jazeera: “Some countries in the region could push Iran into a military confrontation. This could exacerbate tensions so that Iran and the United States cannot find common ground. “Iran. It depends on who is behind the murder. If it turns out that it was a foreign secret service, it complicates the situation. I don’t think it is ruled out that there will be an adequate military response.”
Appeal by the German foreign minister
United Nations Secretary General António Guterres called for restraint in relation to the attack. A UN spokesperson for the dpa news agency announced that reports of the incident were reported. “We ask for restraint and believe it is necessary to avoid measures that could lead to an escalation of tensions in the region”.
In the newspapers of the media group Funke, German foreign minister Heiko Maas called on all involved to remain calm. The Federal Republic of Germany still had no knowledge of its own about the incident, but it was clear that “the killing of Mohsen Fachrisadeh will once again worsen the situation in the region – at a time when we really don’t need such an escalation.”
With information from Karin Senz, ARD-Studio Istanbul
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