Iran calls for punishment for those responsible for the death of nuclear scientist
Iran has pointed the finger at Israel for the death of the nuclear scientist, a charge Israel has denied. The international community has called on all parties involved to exercise restraint.
No longer alluding, Iranian President Hassan Rouhani directly blamed Israel for the death of the country's top nuclear scientist, and vowed to respond appropriately and promptly. However, Mr. Hassan Rouhani emphasized that Iran will not rush into decisions but will consider and calculate.
The Iranian president also affirmed that the assassination of an Iranian nuclear scientist will not slow down the country's nuclear program.
Earlier, in a tweet, Iran's Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei called for punishment for those responsible for the scientist's death. Iranian Foreign Minister Javad Zarif on the same day called on the international community to condemn the incident. The assassination of Iran's top nuclear scientist has also sparked protests in Iran. Many protesters gathered outside the parliament building in Tehran yesterday to condemn the incident and demand swift action from authorities.
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| Scene of the assassination of an Iranian nuclear scientist. Photo: NBC News |
In response to Iran's accusations, Israeli diplomatic facilities around the world were immediately put on high alert. Israeli officials have also denied the accusations. Israeli Cabinet Minister Tzachi Hanegbi - one of the figures close to Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu - emphasized that there is no evidence that Israel is behind this incident.
UN Secretary-General António Guterres and the German Foreign Office yesterday called on all parties to exercise restraint and avoid escalating tensions that could affect negotiations on Iran's nuclear program. According to the German Foreign Office, the important thing now is to protect the negotiating framework so that Iran's nuclear program can be resolved through negotiations.
Meanwhile, the Syrian Foreign Ministry called the assassination of the Iranian nuclear scientist a “terrorist act” and warned that the incident could increase tensions in the region. The Qatari Foreign Ministry and the Turkish Foreign Ministry also condemned the assassination of the Iranian scientist and called for restraint from all sides.
Analysts say the incident will further increase tension in the Middle East, which is already rife with conflict, and will have a significant impact on the future of the Iran nuclear deal.
Mr. Abbas Aslani - an Iranian politician said: "The incident not only causes regional tension but also affects the future of the Iran nuclear deal, making it difficult for the parties to the agreement to fulfill their commitments as well as restore diplomatic solutions to save the agreement."
Iran's top nuclear scientist Mohsen Fakhrizadeh was assassinated in a car bomb and shooting attack in the city of Absard in the Damavand region of eastern Iran on November 27.
According to Western security sources, Mr. Fakhrizadeh is considered to have an extremely important role in Iran's nuclear program. A secret Israeli document in 2018 said that Mr. Fakhrizadeh was the leader of Iran's nuclear weapons program. Meanwhile, the New York Times in 2015 compared scientist Fakhrizadeh to physicist Robert Oppenheimer - the engineer of the Manhattan Project on atomic weapons during World War II./.
