Tehran: Iranian President Hassan Rouhani on Saturday accused Israel of being behind the assassination of nuclear physicist Mohsen Fakhrijah and said his death would not slow the country’s scientific development.
The Iranian Defense Ministry said on Friday that the head of its research and innovation center, Fakhrizadeh, had been killed.
“Once again, the evil hands of Global Arrogance, and their Zionist mercenaries, were stained with the blood of another Iranian, causing deep grief in across the nation for losing a hard-working scientist,” Rouhani said in a statement, as quoted by Iran’s Mehr News Agency.
The president added that the incident will not disrupt the “scientific growth” of the country and will only make young scientists more determined “to continue the path of this precious martyr.”
On Friday, Iranian Foreign Minister Mohammad Javad Zarif said that the killing of the nuclear scientist appeared to involve Israel in some way and should be condemned by the international community, while Iran’s Ambassador to the United Nations Majid Takht Ravanchi has warned the United States and Israel against “adventuristic” steps.
