The Iranian government said in a letter to United Nations Secretary General Ban Ki-Moon that a civilian nuclear scientist who was killed by a bomb yesterday was the latest victim of a foreign terror campaign.
“Based on the existing evidence collected by the relevant Iranian security authorities, similar to previous incidents, perpetrators used the same terrorist method in assassinating Iranian nuclear scientists, i.e. attaching a sticky magnetic bomb to the car carrying the scientists and detonating it,” Mohammad Khazaee, Iran’s ambassador to the UN, said in the letter yesterday. “Furthermore, there is firm evidence that certain foreign quarters are behind such assassinations.”
Iranian officials have accused the U.S. and Israel of targeting Iranian nuclear scientists in an effort to halt Iran’s nuclear program, which Western nations say may be aimed at producing atomic weapons. Tensions have risen over U.S. and European efforts to increase economic sanctions on Iran because of the nuclear program.
Khazaee said Mostafa Ahamdi Roshan, who was killed in a Tehran bomb blast, was the fourth prominent Iranian scientist to be targeted in similar attacks. Roshan, a deputy director at the Natanz uranium enrichment facility in Isfahan province, and another person died in the latest attack, Khazaee said.
“This terrorist action was undertaken by elements of the Zionist regime and those who claim to fight against terrorism,” the official Islamic Republic News Agency cited Iranian Vice President Mohammad-Reza Rahimi as saying.
Israeli Foreign Ministry spokesman Yigal Palmor said by telephone that he had no comment on the reports.
Clinton’s Comment
“I want to categorically deny any United States involvement in any kind of act of violence inside Iran,” Secretary of State Hillary Clinton told reporters yesterday in Washington. “There has to be an understanding between Iran, its neighbors and the international community that finds a way forward for it to end its provocative behavior, end its search for nuclear weapons and rejoin the international community.”
Some Republican presidential candidates in the U.S. have supported efforts to halt Iran’s nuclear program by attacking its scientists. In a November debate, former House Speaker Newt Gingrich endorsed “taking out their scientists,” and former Pennsylvania Senator Rick Santorum called it ”a wonderful thing” when Iranian scientists are killed.
Previous attacks against Iranian nuclear scientists involved the assassination of Massoud Ali-Mohammadi, killed by a bomb outside his Tehran home in January 2010, and an explosion in November of that year that took the life of Majid Shahriari and wounded Fereydoun Abbasi-Davani, who is now the head of Iran’s Atomic Energy Organization.
Possible Attackers
“While it is difficult to gauge the impact of the scientists’ deaths on the country’s nuclear development, Iranian officials have already acknowledged they have a human resources problem in the program, largely because of the sharp political differences within the country,” Meir Javedanfar, lecturer on Iranian politics at the Herzliya Interdisciplinary Center in Israel, said in a telephone interview.
The attacks on scientists may be the work of a foreign intelligence agency such as Israel’s Mossad, according to a U.S. official who agreed to speak on condition of anonymity because intelligence matters are classified. They also could have been carried out by an Iranian exile group such as the People’s Mujahadeen Organization of Iran working independently or in cooperation with a foreign intelligence agency, the official said in a telephone interview.
Attributing the murder to the Mujahadeen is “absolutely false,” the group said in an e-mailed statement.
Locating Targets
It’s also possible that internal opponents of the Iranian regime might have helped the Mujahadeen e-Khalq or foreign agents identify, locate and target important figures in Iran’s nuclear program, the official said.
That alone is difficult, said Reuel Marc Gerecht, a former Central Intelligence Agency specialist on Iran who is now at the Foundation for the Defense of Democracies, a Washington foreign- policy research organization.
“It’s not as if you can look people like this up in the Natanz phone book,” he said in a telephone interview.
It’s conceivable that Iran’s Interior Ministry may have targeted at least some of the scientists because it suspected they were disloyal, according to Gerecht and the U.S. official. Using magnetic bombs attached to their vehicles would make it appear that Israel was behind the killings.
Mossad was suspected of using such a “sticky bomb” to kill Lebanese Hezbollah terrorist leader Imad Mughniyeh in Damascus in February 2008, although that was never proved, the official said.
Explosion, Stuxnet
Other incidents in Iran in recent months have raised suspicions of sabotage against the country’s nuclear program.
A November explosion at a military base west of Tehran killed at least 17 people including a director in the Iranian Revolutionary Guard Corps, state media reported at the time. Last year, malicious software known as Stuxnet affected computer systems controlling several centrifuges used in Iran’s uranium- enrichment program, Iranian officials have said.
The latest killing also follows an Iranian court’s Jan. 9 decision to sentence an American of Iranian descent, Amir Mirzaei Hekmati, to death for spying. U.S. State Department spokeswoman Victoria Nuland has said allegations that Hekmati worked for the CIA were “simply untrue.”
EU Meeting
Iran is under increasing pressure to curb what the International Atomic Energy Agency and a number of western nations have said may be a program to build nuclear weapons. The IAEA reported in November, citing unidentified sources it called “credible,” that Iranian work toward a nuclear weapon continued until 2010 -- seven years after U.S. Intelligence agencies determined with high probability that Tehran’s government had stopped.
European Union foreign ministers plan to meet on Jan. 23 to discuss imposing an oil embargo on Iran. Iranian officials have threatened to shut the Strait of Hormuz, a transit route for a fifth of the world’s oil, if crude exports are sanctioned.
Crude rose 0.7 percent to $101.53 at 8:30 a.m. in London, after reaching an eight-month high above $103 last week. Futures are up more than 10 percent in the past year.
Yesterday’s attack “comes in the middle of heightened tensions, and it helps Iran to play on a sense of threat that it is under a lot of pressure,” Gala Riani, a Middle East analyst at London-based forecaster IHS Global Insight, said by telephone. “It can also be beneficial to more extremist elements in the government who are supporting further military drills in the Strait of Hormuz.”
Iran conducted naval exercises near the Strait for 10 days that ended early this month. Iran also announced on Jan. 6 plans for “naval war games” to be conducted by the Revolutionary Guard Corps next month.
“Based on the existing evidence collected by the relevant Iranian security authorities, similar to previous incidents, perpetrators used the same terrorist method in assassinating Iranian nuclear scientists, i.e. attaching a sticky magnetic bomb to the car carrying the scientists and detonating it,” Mohammad Khazaee, Iran’s ambassador to the UN, said in the letter yesterday. “Furthermore, there is firm evidence that certain foreign quarters are behind such assassinations.”
Iranian officials have accused the U.S. and Israel of targeting Iranian nuclear scientists in an effort to halt Iran’s nuclear program, which Western nations say may be aimed at producing atomic weapons. Tensions have risen over U.S. and European efforts to increase economic sanctions on Iran because of the nuclear program.
Khazaee said Mostafa Ahamdi Roshan, who was killed in a Tehran bomb blast, was the fourth prominent Iranian scientist to be targeted in similar attacks. Roshan, a deputy director at the Natanz uranium enrichment facility in Isfahan province, and another person died in the latest attack, Khazaee said.
“This terrorist action was undertaken by elements of the Zionist regime and those who claim to fight against terrorism,” the official Islamic Republic News Agency cited Iranian Vice President Mohammad-Reza Rahimi as saying.
Israeli Foreign Ministry spokesman Yigal Palmor said by telephone that he had no comment on the reports.
Clinton’s Comment
“I want to categorically deny any United States involvement in any kind of act of violence inside Iran,” Secretary of State Hillary Clinton told reporters yesterday in Washington. “There has to be an understanding between Iran, its neighbors and the international community that finds a way forward for it to end its provocative behavior, end its search for nuclear weapons and rejoin the international community.”
Some Republican presidential candidates in the U.S. have supported efforts to halt Iran’s nuclear program by attacking its scientists. In a November debate, former House Speaker Newt Gingrich endorsed “taking out their scientists,” and former Pennsylvania Senator Rick Santorum called it ”a wonderful thing” when Iranian scientists are killed.
Previous attacks against Iranian nuclear scientists involved the assassination of Massoud Ali-Mohammadi, killed by a bomb outside his Tehran home in January 2010, and an explosion in November of that year that took the life of Majid Shahriari and wounded Fereydoun Abbasi-Davani, who is now the head of Iran’s Atomic Energy Organization.
Possible Attackers
“While it is difficult to gauge the impact of the scientists’ deaths on the country’s nuclear development, Iranian officials have already acknowledged they have a human resources problem in the program, largely because of the sharp political differences within the country,” Meir Javedanfar, lecturer on Iranian politics at the Herzliya Interdisciplinary Center in Israel, said in a telephone interview.
The attacks on scientists may be the work of a foreign intelligence agency such as Israel’s Mossad, according to a U.S. official who agreed to speak on condition of anonymity because intelligence matters are classified. They also could have been carried out by an Iranian exile group such as the People’s Mujahadeen Organization of Iran working independently or in cooperation with a foreign intelligence agency, the official said in a telephone interview.
Attributing the murder to the Mujahadeen is “absolutely false,” the group said in an e-mailed statement.
Locating Targets
It’s also possible that internal opponents of the Iranian regime might have helped the Mujahadeen e-Khalq or foreign agents identify, locate and target important figures in Iran’s nuclear program, the official said.
That alone is difficult, said Reuel Marc Gerecht, a former Central Intelligence Agency specialist on Iran who is now at the Foundation for the Defense of Democracies, a Washington foreign- policy research organization.
“It’s not as if you can look people like this up in the Natanz phone book,” he said in a telephone interview.
It’s conceivable that Iran’s Interior Ministry may have targeted at least some of the scientists because it suspected they were disloyal, according to Gerecht and the U.S. official. Using magnetic bombs attached to their vehicles would make it appear that Israel was behind the killings.
Mossad was suspected of using such a “sticky bomb” to kill Lebanese Hezbollah terrorist leader Imad Mughniyeh in Damascus in February 2008, although that was never proved, the official said.
Explosion, Stuxnet
Other incidents in Iran in recent months have raised suspicions of sabotage against the country’s nuclear program.
A November explosion at a military base west of Tehran killed at least 17 people including a director in the Iranian Revolutionary Guard Corps, state media reported at the time. Last year, malicious software known as Stuxnet affected computer systems controlling several centrifuges used in Iran’s uranium- enrichment program, Iranian officials have said.
The latest killing also follows an Iranian court’s Jan. 9 decision to sentence an American of Iranian descent, Amir Mirzaei Hekmati, to death for spying. U.S. State Department spokeswoman Victoria Nuland has said allegations that Hekmati worked for the CIA were “simply untrue.”
EU Meeting
Iran is under increasing pressure to curb what the International Atomic Energy Agency and a number of western nations have said may be a program to build nuclear weapons. The IAEA reported in November, citing unidentified sources it called “credible,” that Iranian work toward a nuclear weapon continued until 2010 -- seven years after U.S. Intelligence agencies determined with high probability that Tehran’s government had stopped.
European Union foreign ministers plan to meet on Jan. 23 to discuss imposing an oil embargo on Iran. Iranian officials have threatened to shut the Strait of Hormuz, a transit route for a fifth of the world’s oil, if crude exports are sanctioned.
Crude rose 0.7 percent to $101.53 at 8:30 a.m. in London, after reaching an eight-month high above $103 last week. Futures are up more than 10 percent in the past year.
Yesterday’s attack “comes in the middle of heightened tensions, and it helps Iran to play on a sense of threat that it is under a lot of pressure,” Gala Riani, a Middle East analyst at London-based forecaster IHS Global Insight, said by telephone. “It can also be beneficial to more extremist elements in the government who are supporting further military drills in the Strait of Hormuz.”
Iran conducted naval exercises near the Strait for 10 days that ended early this month. Iran also announced on Jan. 6 plans for “naval war games” to be conducted by the Revolutionary Guard Corps next month.
12 comments:
It is impossible to say whether or not the U.S is involved in the attacks on these nuclear scientists. If they are, I personally find it highly immoral and corrupt to simply start killing them off in hopes of preventing a program that Iran has a right to have. That isn't to say that I think Iran should be allowed to fully arm themselves and have the freedom to do as they please with the weapons but, I do feel that just like any other country, they are entitled to protect themselves. If that involves looking into developing the weapons, then they should not be killed for that. They should just be monitored. What concerns me more is the support this tactic of halting the program has received from politicians in the US. Yes, it's dangerous for Iran to have nuclear weapons. It's dangerous for any nation to have nuclear weapons. The nuclear scientists are still people and do not deserve to be attacked and killed because of their job title. It's simply not okay for people to die because of their country's reputation. If the nuclear program needs to be monitored to assure that Iran is not developing weapons in hopes of war, then that is a decision the UN should make.
It seems as if the Iranian govenment/nation wants to use any and every tension filled situation as an excuse to somehow place the U.S. at fault. If we did plan a covert assasination of this and several other nuclear scientists, of course it will be denied to the public. But then again why is it that at this time with so many other ongoing quandaries concerning our connection with Iran (i.e. the conviction of the U.S. "spy" of Iranian decent and the Strait of Hormuz threat)that they've now decided to openly accuse the U.S, if they weren't "looking to pick a fight"? Not even they themselves are 100 percent sure as to which foreign force is behind it, what with the internal strife and tension with their neighboring nations. It seems to me that it only serves to furhter anger all nations involved, therefore leading to whatever major conflict that could come of it.
It seems that Iran has it out for the U.S considering they have already accused people of being CIA spies. Its hard to take their allegations serious when their first conclusion is to blame the U.S and even if the U.S really did order a covert assassination there is no way that they would actually admit to it. The article makes it clear that Iran has more enemies than the U.S who would benefit from the assassination of these scientists, so their accusations are really unfounded
Tension has always been at its height since Iran began its nuclear program. Whether the U.S. was involved in the assassination or not is unclear, however if the U.S. was involved it would of course be denied to the public. Clinton states the denial of the U.S. involvement, but even if it was true why would she say so? The U.S. does not have the right to kill scientists due to the ambiguous notion that the nuclear program might be making nuclear weapons and not using the program for nuclear energy. Countries can watch over the action that Iran is taking, but in no way do they have a right to go in and kill scientists due to suspicions. Iran's past history suggests that they are capable of creating nuclear weapons, but this sterotype just means they should be monitored, not harmed.
It is doubtful that the U.S. has any involvement in these attacks, although the U.S. would have cause to be wary of the nuclear advancements in Iran. It wouldn't make sense if the U.S. participated in these attacks because we are trying to fight terrorism, not create it. I think Iran is trying to find more justification for blaming the U.S. for these events. Even though it would be a great threat to the U.S. if Iran acquired these nuclear weapons, I still believe they have the right to have them, just like any other country whether they are involved in the war or not. Whether these attacks are coincidences or planned, I think Iran is simply trying to place blame on the U.S.
It is highly unlikely that the United States has been involved in the assassinations of foreign scientists in any way. Even if Clinton's denial is over-looked there isn't a way to point a finger at the United States merely because this isn't our style of killing. With access to Predator Drones and highly specialized assault teams (similar to those used when ridding the world of the terror, Osama Bin Laden) it seems that there isn't a way that the U.S. would want to put others in danger with the explosion of a car bomb. With the United States out of the picture, the most feasible culprit in this attack would probably be a Middle Eastern group set on keeping tension between Israel and Iran during the upcoming negotiations between the two countries in the next month. With this new found tension due to the attacks it is highly unlikely that the countries will be able to make any kind of compromise. Keeping tension in these areas that would allow terrorist/extremist groups to continue operating while overlooked when having to deal with foreign relation issues.
It is clear to me that their is a more confusion on who did the bomb ing then sound fact to who did it. Iran seems in a big hurry to blame the U.S. for these attacks on their nuclear scientist but they have no facts to prove it and if the U.S. did do it who really thinks theyd admit it to the public. It is also clear from the article that they have alot of internal strife to worry about as well as the foreign threats from their enemies. I wouldnt be too quick to start pointing fingures because that could cause more problems then sloving them.
This is another article showing the growing tensions between Iran and the United States. It is quite troubling to realize that a US "spy" is sentenced to death and that we are being accused of assassinating an Iranian Scientist. I do believe there should be some action in regards to halting Iran's nuclear program. If there was proof, Iran should stop Mickey Mousing around this ordeal... haha that's not a good idea. Even if the United States were involved with this assassination, I do not believe we would own up to it. Owning up to the assassination would definitely cause violence. It is obvious that the United Nations would like to prevent any violent actions toward one another, but Iran's Nuclear Plan is causing some apprehension.
Nuclear weapons have an infamous reputation and should not be used by any country. I do not support the use of nuclear weapons which is why i was a bit concerned when i was informed of Iran's new nuclear program. However i must admit that after reading this article i was relieved. I am glad that there is action being taken to delay the progress of Iran's nuclear program though i do not support the way this delay was conducted. It is cruel that the scientist were assassinated for the work they were involved in. However when considering the possibility of them unleashing those evil weapons upon another country, even possibly us americans, a few dead scientists is better than hundreds of thousands of innocent people. Yes that sounds like an awful thing to say however it is a "dog eat dog world"(pardon the cliche) and while Iran is trying to protect their country with nuclear weapons, we are protecting ours by unprotecting theirs. Its a tactic sometimes used in all competitions, such as a football coach telling his players to takeout an opposing all stars legs. This is unfair and at the level described in the article its cruel however we were taught early on that life is not fair. Bottom line is they are an enemy and allowing them strength through nuclear weapons is ridiculous. Because we do not live in total peace, America will do what we have to do in order to ensure our freedom and protection from other countries.
It is difficult to know for certain if the US is indeed responsible for this scientist's death, and we will likely never know, but I think it is highly likely that another nation/group is responsible. Many other countries have tenuous relations with Iran and are interested in the discontinuation of their nuclear weapons program besides the US. I condemn this assassination, no matter who did it, as I believe issues should be resolved with diplomacy instead of the death of anyone pursuing contradictory interests. Perhaps the US should attempt to negotiate with Iran on issues involving their nuclear program with a coalition of other nations, like the six-party talks with North Korea.
Iran is always so quick to prosecute American citizens with little to no evidence that they were really spying or conducting other illegal activity, which seems a bit suspicious to me. If they were truly intending to develop atomic energy to feed the growing population, why are they so wary of anyone affiliated with the US & co. in their country? I understand that they may not want foreigners staying illegally, but sentencing them to death (like the death sentence given to the translator in the other article) is far too extreme.
Personally, I hope Iran does not develop a nuclear weapons program. Every country has the right to protect itself, but allowing a government led by one of the worst dictators in the world, Iranian Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei, and President Ahmedinejad (who denies the Holocaust happened), to develop nuclear weapons feels like we're handing a gun to a paranoid schizophrenic. I worry that the Iranian government will perceive its "enemies" as any nation that disagrees with its leaders' views or its theocratic qualities, and might give little consideration to the consequences of using nuclear weapons against another nation. If they choose to pursue atomic energy, I believe they should be closely monitored to make sure that no weapons are developed, at least until the Iranian government has stabilized a considerable degree and can be trusted not to use those weapons.
It is well known that Iran hates Israel and that Iranian possesion of nuclear weapons is a real and serious threat to Israel. Because of this the United States and the UN have contiually made attempts to discourage Iranian nuclear research. In response to this Iran has begun making accusations with regard to US and Israeli involvement in bombings that targeted nuclear scientist. This is an attept to antagonize both the US and Israel in front of the international community. Further more both countries have denied involvment and should be considerd much more credible than a belligerent Iran. If however Irael or the US is involved it should not be considred immoral because Iran has continuely denied Israels right to exist and it would not therefore be unusual for the US and Isreal to take such protective measures. Iran has also said that they only want the nuclear research for the development of nuclear power but this should be regarded as an outrageous lie. It is in the best intrest of the US to stop this potential threat before it becomes one. For this reason the US should impose the oil embargo and should not hinder any Iraeli operations. Also, the planned Iranian wargames are an attempt by Iran to make the US appear weak and unwilling to act and we should therefor meet any attempt to restrict commerce in the Strait of Hormuz with any means necessary to check their deffiant behavior.
The idea of the U.S. attacking the scientists in order to halt their nuclear program is wrong and immoral. The U.S. is founded on morals and rights, and doing what is right and reasonable. Hence, the fact that some U.S. republicans agree that we should carry out this action is ridiculous. Yes, Iran has given us our share of terrorist attacks, and death and suffering, but we should not stoop to their level. That is the whole reason why we are in this war, to show them and other countries that what they are doing and the way they are doing things, is unlawful and unnecessary and differences should be settled in a peaceful manner. Iran may be finding every little thing to blame us for and accuse us of but they really have no substantial evidencce.
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