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TWO ASSAILANTS on a motorcycle attached magnetic bombs yesterday to the car of an Iranian university professor working at a key nuclear facility, killing him and wounding two others, a semiofficial news agency reported.
The attack in Tehran strongly resembles earlier killings of scientists working on the country’s controversial nuclear program.
The bomb explosion killed Mostafa Ahmadi Roshan, a chemistry expert and a director of the Natanz uranium enrichment facility in central Iran, the semiofficial Fars news agency reported.
The killing of Roshan was similar to previous assassinations of Iranian nuclear scientists that Tehran has blamed on Israel and the United States. Both countries have denied the accusations.
Roshan, 32, was inside the Iranian-assembled Peugeot 405 car together with two others when the bomb expoded near Gol Nabi Street in north Tehran, Fars reported.
Fars described the explosion as a “terrorist attack” targeting Roshan, a graduate of the prestigious Sharif University of Technology in Tehran.
Attacks
A similar bomb explosion on 12 January, 2010, killed Tehran University professor Masoud Ali Mohammadi, a senior physics professor. He was killed when a bomb-rigged motorcycle exploded near his car as he was about to leave for work.
In November 2010, a pair of back-to-back bomb attacks in different parts of the capital killed one nuclear scientist and wounded another.
The slain scientist, Majid Shahriari, was a member of the nuclear engineering faculty at Shahid Beheshti University in Tehran and cooperated with the Atomic Energy Organisation of Iran. The wounded scientist, Fereidoun Abbasi, was almost immediately appointed head of Iran’s atomic agency.
And in July 2011, motorcycle-riding gunmen killed Darioush Rezaeinejad, an electronics student. Other reports identified him as a scientist involved in suspected Iranian attempts to make nuclear weapons.
Rezaeinejad allegedly participated in developing high-voltage switches, a key component in setting off the explosions needed to trigger a nuclear warhead.
The United States and other countries say Iran is trying to develop nuclear weapons technology. Iran denies the allegations, saying that its program is intended for peaceful purposes.
- By Ali Akbar Dareini
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If Iranian agents killed people on American soil we would be hearing terrorism terrorism. Obama should look closer to home for his next stage on the war on terror. Team America have killed well over ten times the amount off innocent civilians killed in 9-11. Its time to ask who the real terrorists are. If Iran develops nukes fair play to them. I cant see them been used just nice to display to keep team.America away from their oil.
They did . They tried to kill the Saudi ambassador in America
Do you *actually* believe that, Barry?
You mean any more than I “believe” this happened??? Yes . In fact I do. There is this rapidly growing cult that believing anything America says is lies and what their opponents say is automatically good. While I am no fool and don’t believe America is always good or innocent . Better the devil you know. I would prefer America as the worlds super power than China any day. If America looses its crown which probably will happen I hope India replaces it. India is not perfect but at least with any democracy there is at least “some” room for constant improvement
Take the blinkers off, mate. The USA is not the “good guy” that they are portrayed to be in their Hollywood propaganda. What exactly would Iran have to gain from this “plot”? Nothing. What would Israel/USA have to gain? International condemnation of Iran.
I’m not saying that everything Iran says or does is good. I despise Theocracy whether it is in Iran or USA. But I look at situations objectively and can see that bit by bit the USA are trying to paint Iran as evil in the eyes of the international community and build a case for war. The USA have been proved as liars in many other situations, not just the buildup to the Iraq war, that “the boy who cried wolf” comes to mind.
“If America looses its crown which probably will happen” – if that happens there will be nobody else step up because nobody else will live. USA will not lose their hegemony without a fight and if that means nuclear you can bet they will.
Mate I have no blinkers on.And to say such is just plane ignorant, just because I don’t look down the tunnel vision of America the great Satan does not mean I am wrong. The Saudi government do not want Iran with nuclear weapons and is even allowing Israel to fly over its air space if it needs to .
So what would the Iranians gain by assassinating the Saudi Ambassador to the USA?
However, think about who would gain… The USA, Israel, event the Saudis themselves…
My blinkers comment still stands.
Let’s not forget about Mossad’s use of fake Irish passports…
http://www.sott.net/articles/show/240108-US-Panetta-admits-Iran-not-developing-nukes
U.S. Defense Secretary Leon Panetta let slip on Sunday the big open secret that Washington war hawks don’t want widely known: Iran is not developing nuclear weapons
The U.S and Iran are at war for years but only 007 stuff at the moment.Full scale war takes steps or stages and it’s not looking good,Its only a matter of time for either country to rock the boat too much then the sh*t hit’s the fan.
No one loves war including myself but If Iran and the “West” start another gulf war then oil will be a
luxury rather then a necessity.
But which is worst Iran with a nuke(s) or Oil reaching 200-250 a barrel?
I would say both are bad, however I also reckon that if war does break out it won’t just be over nuclear weapons, and that old phrase “regime change” will be dropped by the politicians.
@dave Totally agree,the U.S failed over throw in 79 has made Iran a ultra conservative country that see’s the west as the enemy.The U.S never the less won’t mind getting there hand’s on Iran’s oil and dish out the contracts for their buddies.
Sounds like israel at it again. They have form in this type of thing.
Sure what are our massively over equipped army doing? Let’s pip the yanks to it and take the oil ourselves!!
Think that’s 007 stuff, check out the storyies about the Stuxnet virus, allegedly created by US/Israel to wreak havok in some Iranian nuclear facilities, mental stuff altogether
Sounds like another American sponsored Mossad operation. Hope they don’t turn out to be on Irish passports (again).
Nothing about Mossad is American sponsored! All this activity is Mossad. If the nuke is imminent Israel will prevent it and it won’t even take 6 days this time! If the nuking starts Israel is history so They know prevention is better than cure. What you are seeing Is prevention and I don’t blame them!
Public perception is vital to push for sanctions and a possible economic or military attack, every article mentioning US v. Iran will always squeeze in the line “The West CLAIMS Iran to be developing nuclear weapons” or the likes, to keep the idea of a threat in public minds. Where the opposite is more accurate.
Just like Iraq’s WMD’s stories, this is all propaganda where without prove (or actually knowing the opposite to be true) can continually accuse the “enemy” of making a big scary bomb and get the masses all looking for the closest table to hide under and rally against a country thousands of miles from them who have never once uttered even a whimsical of a threat towards anyone apart from recently if the US started a direct assault on their country, but that’s a logical response from any nation facing attack from warmongering U.S. of A.
To save a lot of possible deaths in the near future, I would be happier to know Iran actually had such weapons therefore keeping Israel and Washington from taking any direct military against the nation which hasn’t attacked or threatened anyone in 300 years.
A fatwa exists however that no such research or procurement is in place but like other countries that do have a nuclear stockpile, it is used only as a deterrent and leverage. With Israel and the U.S.’s aggressive stance lately on Iran, it would benefit them greatly to have such weapons to stave off an actual attack. God forbid it could just do that and not give Israel the fuel it needs to nuke Iran themselves.
Look who is most likely to benefit financially from this and what they can secure and acquire in all of it.
Then think who really is a threat to anyone.
People went to the streets 8 years back in opposition to invading Iraq, where will the crowds demanding no military action this time be or have people forgotten the past already?
Nothing about Mossad is American? If it weren’t for America holding up Israel since the 40s it would be a spec of dust in the desert, all sympathy for the Jewish people and what ze nazis did to em but they didn’t half learn from em! They’re the biggest bullies in that part of the world, with their neighbours and even humanitarian ships if you cast your mind back? The only strength they have it the US behind them, nothing Mossad or Israel does is independent of the Americans. Generally I like America, but israel is a puppet state of theirs
Looks like”Team America” are at it again…..
“ahhhh durka durka durka”
Looks like the partial proxy war by America is continuing.
I don’t think a sustained bombing campaign by the USA is a viable option presently and for some time.
Irans nuclear facilities, the most importand sections of it for a start, are buried deep in the ground within (to a certain extent as far as they can make it) bomb-blast proof bunkers.
Not just one but a good few.
The Americans M.O.A.B’s and Bunker-Busters would have their work cut out for them.
Add to that, the high risks of low level bombing (they would have to take out the Irans surface to air capabilities in weaponry to ensure the safe return of any USA bombing planes) and if they do that, they might as well be declaring an ‘official war’.
(The American public too, would not react well to more of its people being lost in another foreign campaign. There is not a great ground-swell of support for such a type of military operation – and Obama wants to get elected again!)
Any possible later bombing campaigns will probably only come from USA drone capabilities and/or from Israel fighter planes targeting above ground facilities more so.
For the moment I assess that we will not see anything aggressive from the USA until after (at least) the presidential elections – for obvious reasons!
Then once Obama (if elected again) is in office again, the gloves will be off!
The only way the USA will want to reluctantly enter into warfare before the USA president election, is if they are provoked enough because of the blockage of the straits.
Now if Iran will play that card and how far they can push it (they being aware of the above) – it remains to be seen!
Israel for the present will be the USA’s proxy agents at work.
That much is obvious.
America does not want to show the world that its leading the attempts on Iran by the above assassinations alone.
(Although we might all indeed suspect it – with good reason?)
That would provoke Britian, France, Germany, Russia and China alone, to define their positions clear and some of them would start making demands to back up their favoured side!
Its probably WELL known by Russia and China (but they won’t admit it publicly) that they know its indeed the USA behind all things Israel is doing – if only in intelligence sharing on Iran’s nuclear facilities, possible target finding and possible later viable method of execution of specialist scientists.
I think you are underestimating Israel’s role by calling them a proxy of the USA. That may have been true decades ago but now Israel are a major aggressor in the area and not a third-party being used by the USA. Israel exert much influence over the USA’s middle eastern policy, far more than a proxy actually could.
I think America and Europe are afraid that Iran gets the bomb then it will start an arms race with Egypt and Saudi creating their own nuclear weapons as Iran is a Shia islamic state. Their Sunni neighbours oppose them getting a nuclear weapon almost more than America . Who knows what has been said behind closed doors but it got out that Saudi would allow israel to use its air space to bomb irans nuclear sites. It also got out via wiki leaks that Saudi has been lobbying America to act on Iran . Saudi has the largest stash of oil in the world and money talks for Europe and America and without oil there will be NO money
I agree with you there, Barry. The Saudi monarchy know that their grip on power, despite outward appearances, is threadbare. Iran is trying to increase its hegemony in the middle east and the Saudi monarchy are afraid of this – nukes or not. If the Saudi monarchy lose their grip on power they instantly lose their immense fortune and status, and most likely their lives too. The two driving factors behind all wars are in play again – religion and greed.
@ Barry O’Brien:
Don’t get me wrong – Israel have as much interest as to whats going on in Iran as the Americans do.
I suspect however that Israel would not be so consistent in assassination attacks – without at least some sort of present nod from the USA.
Israel could and for now IS, the current primary agents of action.
The USA for the moment, is just along side them, quietly – until maybe the re-election of Obama comes to pass – then the gloves might come off more!
Mossad. Its their speciality.
It always strikes me as particularly bizarre that the country with more nuclear weapons than anyone else doesn’t want anyone else to have any. Although from an American point of view a war is usually good for the economy for a while. Until they realise they cant win but continue on regardless.
Just to add, I am well aware that there is aggression on all sides and the thought of fundamentalist religious states does not fill me with joy, to say the least, but it’s just that the USA in reality holds the overwhelming power in the region and so I would love to see them take a moral lead. I hoped Obama might have some effect on foreign policy. It’s just that what happens in this region will affect us all so it is depressing to see the continuation of hardened and entrenched positions.
Is it just me or is it not provocative, to say the least, to hold nuclear weapons yourself but insist that others don’t – the glaring fact is that Israel and the USA both have nuclear weapons and the USA is the only country actually to have used them against a civilian population, to horrific effect. It is also arguable that both countries have acted as rogue aggressors in the region, without the sanction of the international community. Why don’t the USA call the bluff of fundamentalist aggressors by acting even-handedly and without self-interest in the middle east??? Then any aggression on the behalf of Iran would be seen as unjustified. Sorry to mention the elephant in the room…
Are there really people who think it’s a good thing that Iran gets nuclear weapons?
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