Following the death and suspected assassination of Iranian nuclear scientist Mohsen Fakhrizadeh, President Hassan Rouhani of Iran vowed that there would be retaliation, Saturday.
In his statement, Rouhani promised that the scientist's martyrdom would be avenged at the proper time.
On Friday, Fakhrizadeh was killed just near Tehran, according to authorities. His death came just weeks after an international monitoring agency confirmed that Iran had taken new steps in its development of nuclear weapons, USA Today reported.
It was also stated that the country's current nuclear development has moved past the limits of the nuclear deal back in 2015 that is now discarded.
In a statement by the Defense Ministry of Iran, the nuclear scientist traveled to a town about 40 miles from Tehran when gunmen ambushed him. Fakhrizadeh died right after being taken to a hospital.
While no nation or group claimed that they were responsible for the death of Fakhrizadeh, his death was dubbed as an act of terror against the state in a statement that Iranian Foreign Minister Javad Zarif posted on Twitter.
Meanwhile, Rouhani has pointed fingers at Israel and accused them of being the minds behind the nuclear scientist's attack.
Experts have also sided with Rouhani's accusations. In a report by the New York Times, two intelligence officials and at least one American official have stated that Israel was behind the death of Fakhrizadeh.
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According to the report, Israel is very capable of such an attack. In early November, a top al Qaeda leader who lives in Tehran was killed by Israeli assassins on behalf of the US.
While there is no concrete evidence yet on who was responsible for the death of Fakhrizadeh, military leaders in Iran, including Gen. Mohammad Bagheri, stated that his death is a massive blow to the defense establishment of the country.
Moreover, Fakhrizadeh's death is just another part of the setbacks that Iran's nuclear program has encountered. Back in the summer, a series of explosions happened in research sites, the origin of the explosions remains a mystery, but experts have also believed that Israel was likely responsible.
In addition to the explosion in summer, a missile facility near Tehran also became the site of a major explosion in June. In early July, a separate explosion also rocked the Natanz underground chief nuclear facility.
According to Vox, Center for Middle East Public Policy at the RAND Corporation director Dalia Dassa Kaye pointed out that there are a context and a pattern of escalation to the explosions, which likely suggests that there is a motive to the target that Israel has painted on Iranians.
It can be recalled that Trump tore up the nuclear deal between the US and Iran in 2018. He also reimposed the sanctions on Iran. In response, Iran has even abandoned several portions of the agreement to argue that the US has invalidated it by exiting the deal.
Related article: Iranian Scientist Linked To Nuclear Programs Assassinated Allegedly by Israel
