Iranian nuclear scientist assassinated, CIA likely culprit

POLITICS - An Iranian university professor working at Iran's largest nuclear facility was killed by a car bomb in Tehran yesterday (Wednesday January 11th). He is the third Iranian scientist assassinated in a string of deaths designed to undermine Iran’s nuclear program. CIA operatives are the most likely culprits.

The operatives were two men on a motorcycle who attached a magnetic bomb to Mostafa Ahmadi Roshan’s car outside the campus of Allameh Tabatabai University. The bomb later killed him and his driver. A passerby was also wounded and remains in hospital.

Roshan, 32, a chemistry expert and the director of the Natanz uranium enrichment facility in the Isfahan province worked for Iran’s nuclear agency. Since January 2010 there has been a handful of attacks against Iran's scientific community, suggesting a CIA or possibly NATO operation to halt Iran’s atomic program.

The United States, Britain and Israel are pressuring Iran to suspend uranium enrichment and have been sending increasing number of operatives to Iran to undermine its government and Iran's nuclear weapons program.

Low levels of uranium enrichment can be used as nuclear fuel, at higher levels it can be used as material for a nuclear warhead. All it takes then is an accurate missile and a "critical mass" of fissionable material.

All the pressure and assassinations has forced Iran to move its operations underground. Iranian officials said earlier this week that they are expanding some operations to an underground site south of Tehran where they are enriching high grade uranium usable for weapons.

Iran claims its program is intended for energy and medical research, specifically the production of medical radioisotopes to treat cancer patients. But this would not explain their need for enriching high grade fissionable material.

After yesterday's attack Iran’s parliament shouted “Death to Israel” and “Death to America”.

“Iran’s enemies should know they cannot prevent Iran’s progress by carrying out such terrorist acts,” said First Vice-President Mohammad Reza Rahimi. He and other Iranian politicians are accusing the USA of operating a terrorist organization inside Iran.

The CIA, MI6 and Mossad (Israel Intelligence Agency) have denied (or declined to comment on) the accusations of assassinations and terrorism.

On Tuesday Israeli military chief Lt. Gen. Benny Gantz hinted that this year would be a “critical year” for Iran, saying “things which take place in an unnatural manner.”

“Many bad things have been happening to Iran in the recent period,” said Mickey Segal, the former director of Mossad’s Iranian intelligence department. “Iran is in a situation where pressure on it is mounting, and the latest assassination joins the pressure that the Iranian regime is facing.”

Secretary of State Hillary Clinton said the CIA “had absolutely nothing to do” with Roshan’s death and denied any American involvement in the killing.

A similar bomb to Wednesday’s exploded on January 12th, 2010 killing Tehran University physics professor Masoud Ali Mohammadi. He was killed just as he was about to leave for work.

In November 2010, twin bomb attacks in different parts of Tehran killed nuclear scientist Majid Shahriari and wounded scientist Fereidoun Abbasi.

In July 2011, motorcycle-riding gunmen killed university student Darioush Rezaeinejad, who is alleged to have been working in a team to make nuclear weapons.

In November 2011, 17 people, including Major General Hasan Moghaddam, a very prominent figure in Iran’s nuclear program, died in an explosion at an ammunition dump near Tehran.