An Iranian Nuclear Scientist Mostafa Ahmadi-Roshan was killed following a car bomb explosion in north of Tehran.
According to reports, the incident took place after two assailants on a motorcycle attached a magnetic bomb to the car of the nuclear scientist, killing him and his driver on Wednesday.
Mostafa Ahmadi Roshan, 32 was a deputy director at Iran’s Natanz uranium enrichment facility. He was specialised in making polymeric membranes to separate gas.
The attack in Tehran bore a strong resemblance to earlier killings of scientists working on the Iranian nuclear program. It is certain to amplify authorities’ claims of clandestine operations by Western powers and their allies to halt Iran’s nuclear advances.
Several Iranian nuclear scientists have been assassinated in recent years, with Iran blaming Israel and the US. Both countries deny the accusations.
Three other Iranian scientists were killed in 2010 and 2011 when their cars blew up in similar circumstances. At least two of the scientists had also been working on nuclear activities.
Iranian official immediately blamed “the Zionist regime” for the explosion, saying the method ~ two men on a motorbike attaching a magnetic bomb to the target’s vehicle ~ was similar to those used in the assassinations of three other scientists over the past two years.
Safar Ali Baratloo, a senior security official, was quoted by Fars as also saying the attack was the work of Israelis. “The magnetic bomb is of the same types already used to assassinate our scientists.”
However US state department spokeswoman Victoria Nuland told reporters she did not have “any information to share one way or the other” on the latest attack.
