Iran has vouched to revenge the murder of one of its leading nuclear scientists.
Mohsen Fakhrizadeh's car came under attack on Friday afternoon (28 November), and he died in hospital shortly after. The car was targeted by an explosion and machinegun fire in Damavand's Absard 40 kilometers to the East of Tehran.
The Iranian FARS news agency cites eyewitness accounts saying that Fakhrizadeh's car came under attack first by a blast and then by assailants who sprayed bullets at his car. The agency also quotes eyewitnesses as saying that three to four individuals, most likely all assailants, were also killed.
Iran on Friday evening, raised the issue of the assassination at the United Nations Security Council. The Permanent Representative of Iran in the UN Majid Takht-Ravanchi in a letter addressed to the UN Secretary General and to the Security Council said that there are "serious signs pointing at Israel’s responsibility" in the Fahrizade’s assassination.
The Russian news agency TASS quoted from the letter, saying that, Takht-Ravanchi claimed that Tehran is entitled to take all necessary measures in order to protect its interests in the current situation.
"While warning the US and Israel against any opportunistic actions against my country, especially within the remaining term of the current US administration, the Islamic Republic of Iran reserves the right to take all necessary measures in order to protect its people and its interests," the letter says.
The diplomat also underscored that there are "serious signs pointing at Israel’s responsibility" in the Fahrizade’s assassination, which aimed to complicate Iran’s technological and scientific development.
Iran expects the UN Secretary General to decisively condemn the incident and to take "necessary actions against the perpetrators," Takht-Ravanchi said.
source: commonspace.eu with FARS news agency (Tehran), TASS (Moscow) and agencies
