Iranian Nuclear Scientist Mohsen Fakhrizadeh assassinated in Tehran

Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) affiliated Telegram Channels are reporting that Iranian Nuclear Scientist Mohsen Fakhrizadeh-Mahabadi has died due to an assassination in Absard, Damavand County, Tehran.

BREAKING: Mohsen Fakhrizadeh, Iranian top nuclear scientist and the man who is described as ‘father of the Iranian bomb’, has been assassinated east of Tehran. 

Iran revolutionary guards commander says Iran will avenge killings of scientists as it has in the past

Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) affiliated Telegram Channels are reporting that Iranian Nuclear Scientist Mohsen Fakhrizadeh-Mahabadi has died due to an assassination in Absard, Damavand County, Tehran. Reports are unconfirmed at this moment in time. Reports are circulating that an Iranian nuclear scientist has been assassinated in Absard, Iran on social media sites. The reports claimed that Iranian Nuclear Scientist Mohsen Fakhri Zade has died due to an assassination.

Update (3): BREAKING Mohsen Fakhri Zadeh Mahabdi’s death has been officially confirmed.

Update (2):  The Iranian regime is yet to officially confirm how exactly Mohsen Fakhrizade was eliminated, but the reports about a “suicide bomber” seem false. Updated reports claim that there was an explosion, then a firefight.

Multiple Confirmations from Iranian Media: According to the political correspondent of Iran‘s state-affiliated Tasnim News Agency said: “a few hours ago, MohsenFakhrizadeh, a scientist in the field of nuclear weapons, was assassinated by elements in Tehran!”

Who is Mohsen Fakhrizadeh-Mahabadi

Mohsen Fakhrizadeh-Mahabadi (محسن فخری‌زاده) (born c. 1961) is an Iranian officer in the Iranian Revolutionary Guard and a Professor of physics at the Imam Hussein University, Tehran. Fakhrizadeh-Mahabadi has been subject to a UN Security Council asset freeze and travel notification requirements because the Council says the IAEA has asked to interview Fakhrizadeh-Mahabadi and Iran has refused to make him available. According to the UN designation, Fakhrizadeh-Mahabadi is a senior Ministry of Defence and Armed Forces Logistics scientist and former head of the Physics Research Center (PHRC). The IAEA has asked to interview him about the activities of the PHRC over the period he was head, but he had refused.

Western intelligence notes

Western intelligence charges he is or was the man in charge of Iran’s nuclear programme, Project 111. Western powers assert Project 111 is or was an attempt to create a nuclear bomb for Iran, though Iran claims its program is solely for civilian purposes and that the information provided by Western intelligence agencies is fake or forged. According to the New York Times, Mr. Fakrizadeh is described in classified portions of American intelligence reports as deeply involved in an effort to design a nuclear warhead for Iran. The United States is reportedly keeping pressure on him.

An internal 2007 Iranian document leaked

An internal 2007 Iranian document leaked to the Sunday Times identified Fakhrizadeh as the chairman of the Field for the Expansion of Deployment of Advanced Technology (FEDAT), the cover name for the organization running Iran’s nuclear weapons programme. The document, entitled Outlook for special neutron-related activities over the next 4 years, lays out a four-year plan to develop a uranium deuteride neutron initiator.

Sources: Open-source intelligence (OSINT), Wikipedia

Watch: The Assassination scene of Iranian Nuclear Scientist Mohsen Fakhrizadeh