Iran blames Israel for killing top nuclear scientist Mohsen Fakhrizadeh

TEHRAN

A top Iranian security official, on Monday, accused Israel of using remote-controlled “electronic devices” to kill a scientist who founded the Islamic Republic’s military nuclear program in the 2000s.

Ali Shamkhani, the secretary of the country’s Supreme National Security Council, commented at the funeral for Mohsen Fakhrizadeh, where Iran’s defence minister separately vowed to continue the man’s work “with more speed and more power.”

Israel, long suspected of killing Iranian nuclear scientists over the last decade, has declined to comment on the attack.

Fakhrizadeh headed Iran’s so-called AMAD program, which Israel and the West have alleged was a military operation looking at the feasibility of building a nuclear weapon.

The International Atomic Energy Agency says that “structured programme” ended in 2003. US intelligence agencies concurred with that assessment in a 2007 report.

Israel insists Iran still maintains the ambition of developing nuclear weapons, pointing to Tehran’s ballistic missile program and research into other technologies. Iran long has maintained its nuclear program is peaceful.

Shamkhani’s remarks drastically change the story of Fakhrizadeh’s killing Friday. Authorities initially said a truck exploded and then gunmen opened fire on the scientist, killing him.

According to an unnamed source, the weapons collected from the site of the assassination had the logo and specifications of the Israeli military industry.

State TV’s Arabic-language channel, Al-Alam, claimed the weapons used were “controlled by satellite,” a claim also made Sunday by the semiofficial Fars news agency.

None of the outlets immediately offered evidence supporting their claims.

“Unfortunately, the operation was a very complicated operation and was carried out by using electronic devices,” Shamkhani told state TV. “No individual was present at the site.”

Shamkhani also blamed the Iranian exile group Mujahedeen-e-Khalq as well for “having a role in this,” without elaborating. The MEK did not immediately respond to a request for comment.

Monday’s service for Fakhrizadeh took place at an outdoor portion of Iran’s Defense Ministry in Tehran, with officials including Revolutionary Guard chief Gen. Hossein Salami, the Guard’s Quds Force leader Gen. Esmail Ghaani, civilian nuclear programme chief Ali Akbar Sahei and Intelligence Minister Mamoud Alavi.

They sat apart from each other and wore masks because of the coronavirus pandemic as reciters read out portions of the Quran and religious texts.

Defense Minister Gen. Amir Hatami gave a speech after kissing Fakhrizadeh’s casket and putting his forehead against it. He said Fakhrizadeh’s killing would make Iranians “more united, more determined.”

“For the continuation of your path, we will continue with more speed and more power,” Hatami said in comments aired live by state television.

Hatami also criticized countries that hadn’t condemned Fakhrizadeh’s killing, warning: “This will catch up with you someday.”

Overnight, the United Arab Emirates, which just reached a normalization deal with Israel, issued a statement condemning “the heinous assassination.”

The UAE, home to Abu Dhabi and Dubai, warned it “could further fuel conflict in the region.”

Last year, the UAE found itself in the middle of an escalating series of incidents between Iran and the US.

Though long suspicious of Iran’s nuclear program, the Emirates has said it wants to de-escalate the crisis. The UAE just started passenger air service to Israel, and they expect Israelis to vacation in the country over Hanukkah in the coming days.

Hatami also called the nuclear arsenal of the US - and the suspected stockpile of atomic bombs Israel is holding - “the most dangerous threat against humanity.”

Mourners later buried Fakhrizadeh in the courtyard of Imamzadeh Saleh mosque in north Tehran. (PTI)