Iran's Chief Nuclear Program Specialist Assassinated; Zarif Blames Israel

Iran's chief nuclear physicist Mohsen Fakhrizadeh has been killed, according to the press service of the country's Ministry of Defense. RIA.ru reports that the incident occurred on one of the streets in Absard city, where an explosion was heard followed by gunfire.

Hosseyn Dehghan, an advisor to the Supreme Leader of the Islamic Republic of Iran, stated that the assassination of the head of the research and innovation organization will not go unanswered. “We will deliver a lightning blow to the murderers,” he stated.

Later, Iran's Foreign Minister Mohammad Javad Zarif announced that Israel had direct involvement in the assassination. “This vile act, which shows significant evidence of Israel's role, demonstrates the desperation of criminals seeking to incite war,” Zarif wrote on Twitter.

He called on the international community, particularly the European Union, to stop the politics of double standards and condemn this “act of state terrorism.” Fakhrizadeh was Iran's most prominent nuclear scientist. Western sources considered him an extremely powerful and influential figure in Iran's nuclear program.