The Iranian government confirmed on Friday that Israel is allegedly behind the assassination of a top Iranian nuclear scientist near Tehran, but the allegation was presented without any evidence.
According to reports from media companies from Iran and NBC News, Mohsen Fakhrizadeh, also known as the 'father of the Iranian bomb,' died due to the injuries he acquired after armed assassins fired upon his car.
The Iranian media shared several photos of a black Nissan sedan with multiple bullet holes through the windshield and blood on the road next to the car door.
No group has immediately claimed responsibility for the attack on Friday.
Javad Zarif, the Foreign Minister of Iran, condemned the killing in a tweet along with allegations of serious indication of Israeli involvement in the shooting incident.
The top army commander of Iran, Abdolrahim Mousavi, shared that the Islamic Republic of Iran has the reserved rights in taking revenge and blamed the United States and Israel for the death of the scientist.
The death of Fakhrizadeh came just days before the 10th death anniversary of the killing of Iranian nuclear scientist Majid Shahriari, whose death was also blamed by Iran on Israel.
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The Israeli Embassy in Washington, D.C., did not respond to requests for comments regarding the issue, ABC News reported.
The National Security Council, Department of State, and even the Pentagon declined to comment on the issue.
However, President Donald Trump did as he retweeted a news article and commentary regarding the death of Fakhrizadeh.
Only a few pieces of information are known about Fakhrizadeh. Aside from being long viewed as Iran's top nuclear scientist who oversees the secret weapons programs of the regime, he is also a high-ranking Revolutionary Guard officer.
Benjamin Netanyahu, the Israeli Prime Minister, accused Iran in 2018 of continuing and developing nuclear weapons and even mentioned that Fakhrizadeh was working within the Defense Ministry of Iran assigned on special projects.
Netanyahu emphasized during that time to remember the name Fakhrizadeh.
The death of the Iranian nuclear scientist is expected to escalate tensions between the United States and Iran as tensions have already soared under the administration of Trump after Washington's exit from the landmark Iran nuclear agreement.
Standoff with Iran
The 2015 JCPOA or the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action accord, brokered by the Obama administration, has lifted sanctions on Iran that had crippled its economy and cut its oil exports close to half.
As an exchange for the sanctions relief, Iran accepted limitations on its nuclear program until the terms of the agreement will expire in 2025.
The administration of Trump withdrew the United States from the JCPOA, as Trump tagged it as the worst deal ever of the U.S., Reuters reported.
The president had mentioned in a previous statement that he wanted to achieve a broader deal with Iran in terms of the limitations on its nuclear and ballistic missile work and suppressed the role of the regime in regional proxy wars.
However, despite the comments of Trump, Tehran refused to negotiate while the United States sanctions remain in place.
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