freepalestine
29th November 2010, 18:15
Middle East Iran: West behind scientist's death Officials accuse Israel and US for attacks in which one nuclear scientist was killed and another injured.
Last Modified: 29 Nov 2010 15:21 GMT
Two car bomb blasts killed one Iranian nuclear scientist and wounded another in Tehran , al Alam TV reported [Reuters]Mahmoud Ahmadinejad, the Iranian president, has accused Israel and Western governments of being behind the killing of a prominent Iranian nuclear scientist.
Assailants on motorcycles attached bombs to the cars of two nuclear scientists as they were driving to work in Tehran on Monday, killing one and wounding the other, Iranian officials say.
Ahmadinejad said that “undoubtedly the hand of the Zionist regime and Western governments is involved'' in the killing. But he said the assassination won't stop Iran from pursuing its nuclear programs.
Ali Akbar Salehi, Iran's nuclear chief, said the man killed was involved in a major project at the country's chief nuclear agency, though he did not give specifics.
Some Iranian media reported that the wounded scientist was a laser expert at Iran's defence ministry and one of the country's few top specialists in nuclear isotope separation. State TV blamed Israel and the US for the attacks.
At least two other Iranian nuclear scientists have been killed in recent years in what Iran has alleged was part of a covert attempt by the West to damage its nuclear programme. One of those two was killed in an attack similar to those on Monday.
Mohammad Reza Rahimi, the Iranian vice-president, also blamed Israel, saying it had "picked up the weapon of terror".
"We will remove this mask and devilish cover from their face and reveal their identity," he said during a joint news conference with Saad Hariri, the Lebanese prime minister, who is in Tehran on a state visit.
Some Iranian media have reported that the second scientist, Fereidoun Abbasi, had been killed in the attack as well, however Tehran's police chief said on Monday that he survived.
The dead scientist, Majid Shahriari, was a member of the nuclear engineering faculty at Shahid Beheshti University in Tehran. His wife, who was in the car with him, was injured.
The second separate attack that wounded Abbasi, also injured his wife, who was in the car with him.
'Cable release orchestrated'
Meanwhile, Ahmadinejad, said the US government had orchestrated the release of thousands of US diplomatic cables by Wikileaks to pursue its "political goals".
According to the cables released on Sunday, King Abdullah of Saudi Arabia and other Gulf leaders repeatedly urged the US to attack Iran to destroy its nuclear program.
"We don't give any value to these documents," Ahmadinejad told a news conference in Tehran, Iran's capital. It's without legal value. Iran and regional states are friends. Such acts of mischief have no impact on relations between nations," Ahmadinejad said.
"These documents are prepared and released by the US government in a planned manner and in pursuance of an aim. It is part of intelligence warfare and will not have their desired political impact," he said.
Despite countries calling for a political resolution to the controversy over Iran's uranium enrichment project, the cables show that in addition to Riyadh, both Manama and Abu Dhabi suggested a radical solution may be necessary.
Saudi Arabia also offered to promote energy ties with China if the Chinese government backed sanctions against Iran, according to one of the diplomatic cables, the New York Times reported.
Ahmadinejad announced on Monday that Iran has accepted a date for new round of talks with world powers about its nuclear programme.
The talks will be held in Geneva on December 5, Russia's RIA news agency quoted the Iranian ambassador to Moscow as saying.
Iranian 'nuclear scientist' killed State media reports that a nuclear scientist was killed and three wounded in two separate explosions in Iran's capital.
Last Modified: 29 Nov 2010 12:08 GMT
The attacks were apparently carried out by men on motorbikes [Alalam via Reuters] An Iranian nuclear scientist has been killed in one of two explosions rocking the capital, Tehran, according to state media. Three people were also injured in the blasts.
The report said Dr Majid Shahriari was killed and his wife was injured on Monday. Shahriari was a member of the nuclear engineering department of Shahid Beheshti University in northern Tehran, according to the official IRNA news agency.
In a separate attack, Dr Fereydoon Abbasi and his wife were injured.
Abbasi, 52, holds a PhD in nuclear physics and did nuclear research at the defence ministry, Mashreghnews, an Iranian news website, said.
He is "one of the few specialists who can separate isotopes" and has been a "member of the Revolutionary Guards since the revolution" in 1979, the website added.
Al Jazeera's Alireza Ronaghi, reporting from Tehran, said few details were known about the nature of the blasts.
But he added that the victim was a colleague of another professor, Massoud Ali-Mohammadi, who was killed in January in the same fashion.
US blamed
At the time, Tehran accused the US and Israel of assassinating Mohammadi, who was allegedly linked to its atomic weapons programme.
But the US rebuffed the accusation. Mark Toner, a US state department spokesman, said it was "absurd" to suggest that the US was involved at all.
Later it was reported that Mohammadi had been mistakenly referred to as a nuclear scientist. He was a quantum physicist and was not a political figure at all. More importantly, he was not involved in Iran's nuclear programme.
Al Jazeera's Ronaghi said the two attacks on Monday had "been taking place in the same manner."
"A motorbike rider has forged the cars of both these professors, around 7:45 local time, attached a bomb to them, and ran away," our reporter said.
He added that it was unclear if the blasts were carried out by foreign governments who are actively seeking to undermine Iran's nuclear programme.
Many in Iran, including Sadegh Zibakalam, a politics professor at Tehran University, believe that Western governments have a hand in these attacks.
Talking to Al Jazeera, Zibakalam dismissed the possibility of any internal involvement saying that "none of them [the nuclear scientists] have been against the government, they are not politically involved."
Safar Ali Baratlu, the deputy Tehran governor, told ISNA news agency: "The issue of the assassination of two Shahid Beheshti University professors is currently under investigation and its results will be announced."
The reported attacks came a day after the top US military officer said that the United States was weighing military options in the face of Tehran's announcement it had an atomic power plant up and running.
Admiral Mike Mullen, chairman of the US joint chiefs of staff said in an interview with CNN that he does not believe that Iran's nuclear plant is for civilian use "for a second."
http://english.aljazeera.net/news/middleeast/2010/11/201011297228879910.html
Last Modified: 29 Nov 2010 15:21 GMT
Two car bomb blasts killed one Iranian nuclear scientist and wounded another in Tehran , al Alam TV reported [Reuters]Mahmoud Ahmadinejad, the Iranian president, has accused Israel and Western governments of being behind the killing of a prominent Iranian nuclear scientist.
Assailants on motorcycles attached bombs to the cars of two nuclear scientists as they were driving to work in Tehran on Monday, killing one and wounding the other, Iranian officials say.
Ahmadinejad said that “undoubtedly the hand of the Zionist regime and Western governments is involved'' in the killing. But he said the assassination won't stop Iran from pursuing its nuclear programs.
Ali Akbar Salehi, Iran's nuclear chief, said the man killed was involved in a major project at the country's chief nuclear agency, though he did not give specifics.
Some Iranian media reported that the wounded scientist was a laser expert at Iran's defence ministry and one of the country's few top specialists in nuclear isotope separation. State TV blamed Israel and the US for the attacks.
At least two other Iranian nuclear scientists have been killed in recent years in what Iran has alleged was part of a covert attempt by the West to damage its nuclear programme. One of those two was killed in an attack similar to those on Monday.
Mohammad Reza Rahimi, the Iranian vice-president, also blamed Israel, saying it had "picked up the weapon of terror".
"We will remove this mask and devilish cover from their face and reveal their identity," he said during a joint news conference with Saad Hariri, the Lebanese prime minister, who is in Tehran on a state visit.
Some Iranian media have reported that the second scientist, Fereidoun Abbasi, had been killed in the attack as well, however Tehran's police chief said on Monday that he survived.
The dead scientist, Majid Shahriari, was a member of the nuclear engineering faculty at Shahid Beheshti University in Tehran. His wife, who was in the car with him, was injured.
The second separate attack that wounded Abbasi, also injured his wife, who was in the car with him.
'Cable release orchestrated'
Meanwhile, Ahmadinejad, said the US government had orchestrated the release of thousands of US diplomatic cables by Wikileaks to pursue its "political goals".
According to the cables released on Sunday, King Abdullah of Saudi Arabia and other Gulf leaders repeatedly urged the US to attack Iran to destroy its nuclear program.
"We don't give any value to these documents," Ahmadinejad told a news conference in Tehran, Iran's capital. It's without legal value. Iran and regional states are friends. Such acts of mischief have no impact on relations between nations," Ahmadinejad said.
"These documents are prepared and released by the US government in a planned manner and in pursuance of an aim. It is part of intelligence warfare and will not have their desired political impact," he said.
Despite countries calling for a political resolution to the controversy over Iran's uranium enrichment project, the cables show that in addition to Riyadh, both Manama and Abu Dhabi suggested a radical solution may be necessary.
Saudi Arabia also offered to promote energy ties with China if the Chinese government backed sanctions against Iran, according to one of the diplomatic cables, the New York Times reported.
Ahmadinejad announced on Monday that Iran has accepted a date for new round of talks with world powers about its nuclear programme.
The talks will be held in Geneva on December 5, Russia's RIA news agency quoted the Iranian ambassador to Moscow as saying.
Iranian 'nuclear scientist' killed State media reports that a nuclear scientist was killed and three wounded in two separate explosions in Iran's capital.
Last Modified: 29 Nov 2010 12:08 GMT
The attacks were apparently carried out by men on motorbikes [Alalam via Reuters] An Iranian nuclear scientist has been killed in one of two explosions rocking the capital, Tehran, according to state media. Three people were also injured in the blasts.
The report said Dr Majid Shahriari was killed and his wife was injured on Monday. Shahriari was a member of the nuclear engineering department of Shahid Beheshti University in northern Tehran, according to the official IRNA news agency.
In a separate attack, Dr Fereydoon Abbasi and his wife were injured.
Abbasi, 52, holds a PhD in nuclear physics and did nuclear research at the defence ministry, Mashreghnews, an Iranian news website, said.
He is "one of the few specialists who can separate isotopes" and has been a "member of the Revolutionary Guards since the revolution" in 1979, the website added.
Al Jazeera's Alireza Ronaghi, reporting from Tehran, said few details were known about the nature of the blasts.
But he added that the victim was a colleague of another professor, Massoud Ali-Mohammadi, who was killed in January in the same fashion.
US blamed
At the time, Tehran accused the US and Israel of assassinating Mohammadi, who was allegedly linked to its atomic weapons programme.
But the US rebuffed the accusation. Mark Toner, a US state department spokesman, said it was "absurd" to suggest that the US was involved at all.
Later it was reported that Mohammadi had been mistakenly referred to as a nuclear scientist. He was a quantum physicist and was not a political figure at all. More importantly, he was not involved in Iran's nuclear programme.
Al Jazeera's Ronaghi said the two attacks on Monday had "been taking place in the same manner."
"A motorbike rider has forged the cars of both these professors, around 7:45 local time, attached a bomb to them, and ran away," our reporter said.
He added that it was unclear if the blasts were carried out by foreign governments who are actively seeking to undermine Iran's nuclear programme.
Many in Iran, including Sadegh Zibakalam, a politics professor at Tehran University, believe that Western governments have a hand in these attacks.
Talking to Al Jazeera, Zibakalam dismissed the possibility of any internal involvement saying that "none of them [the nuclear scientists] have been against the government, they are not politically involved."
Safar Ali Baratlu, the deputy Tehran governor, told ISNA news agency: "The issue of the assassination of two Shahid Beheshti University professors is currently under investigation and its results will be announced."
The reported attacks came a day after the top US military officer said that the United States was weighing military options in the face of Tehran's announcement it had an atomic power plant up and running.
Admiral Mike Mullen, chairman of the US joint chiefs of staff said in an interview with CNN that he does not believe that Iran's nuclear plant is for civilian use "for a second."
http://english.aljazeera.net/news/middleeast/2010/11/201011297228879910.html