Nuclear Scientist Murder: Iranian Government Accuses Israel

Nuclear Scientist Murder: Iranian Government Accuses Israel
Nuclear Scientist Murder: Iranian Government Accuses Israel

A high-ranking nuclear scientist was assassinated in Iran. The background is still unclear. Tehran sees Israel behind the attack, which could further destabilize the region.

By Karin Senz, ARD Studio Istanbul

A shattered windshield of a dark limousine, debris and blood on the street – these images have dominated the Iranian news since yesterday afternoon. Mohsen Fachrisade and his bodyguards are on their way from the small town of Absard to Tehran, Defense Minister Amir Hatami describes the course of events in the evening: “First his car was shot, and after about 10 to 15 seconds a Nissan with explosives is about 15 to 20 meters Exploded away from his car. He was injured. “

So bad that he dies in hospital shortly afterwards. Alireza Yavari of the University of Tehran reacts harshly on the Al Jazeera television station: “Mr. Fachrisadeh was a respected scientist with integrity, a university professor who worked with the civil and military industries, like many other scientists worldwide. The murder of him cannot be taken as a defense because he did not have an active post in the military. That is why this is terrorism and that is condemned.

Several assassination attempts already

Fachrisadeh was a nuclear physicist. He is considered the father of the Iranian nuclear program. This was officially discontinued in the early 2000s. Most recently, the 63-year-old headed the department for research and technological renewal in the Ministry of Defense. It is said in Iran that he died a martyr’s death. It wasn’t the first attempt on him.

Iranian foreign minister accuses Israel

The Iranian Foreign Minister Zarif writes on Twitter of the desperate warmongering of the perpetrators and of a cowardly act – with serious signs of Israel’s role. This suspicion is fueled by a statement by Israeli President Benjamin Netanyahu. In 2018 he talked extensively about the role of Fachrisadeh on television and warned: “Remember the name Mohsen Fachrisadeh.”

Nobody has known about the attack so far. Israel has long been suspected of having murdered four Iranian nuclear scientists between 2010 and 2012. It feels that its existence is threatened by the nuclear program.

What role does the USA play?

The US Middle East expert Hillary Mann Leverett goes even further in the Al-Jazeera interview on the current attack: “There are good reasons to suspect Israel, and maybe even the US is involved. After all, officials in the US have announced that they are using the time leading up to the end of the administration and the beginning of the Biden administration to punish Iran by all means and stop its progress in the nuclear and other areas. “

The current attack on Fachrisadeh is reminiscent of the killing of the Iranian general Kassem Soleimani last January. At the time, US President Donald Trump made no secret of the fact that he had ordered the attack. That almost led to war between the two countries. Only recently did Trump consider attacking a nuclear facility in Iran.

His successor Joe Biden, on the other hand, plans to return to a nuclear deal with Iran: “I think they want to stir up tensions, especially in this interim phase between the end of the Trump administration and the start of the Biden administration.”

Tensions in the region could intensify

In Iran the calls for revenge are getting louder. Alireza Yavari from the University of Tehran points to another danger on Al-Jazeera: “Some countries in the region could force Iran into a military confrontation. This could further exacerbate tensions, so that Iran and the USA do not have common ground Find.”

Iran’s answer depends on who is behind the murder, says Yavari. “If it turns out that it was a foreign secret service, then that complicates the situation. And I do not consider it out of the question that there will be an adequate military answer.”

That should make it harder for President Hassan Rouhani to return to the negotiating table with Biden. Not only Israel, but also the hardliners in Iran absolutely want to prevent this.

Tagesschau reported on this topic on November 27, 2020 at 8:00 p.m.

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