Iran writes to UN asserting ‘right to defend’ after nuclear scientist's assassination

Following the assassination of Iran’s top nuclear scientist Mohsen Fakhrizadeh, Foreign Minister Mohammad Javed Zarif accused Israel of being involved in the murder plot and further called on the international community to put an end to “act of state terror”. Fakhrizadeh was killed on the outskirts of capital Tehran after gunmen attacked his car on Friday. The Islamic Republic's state media reported that minutes before Fakhrizadeh was ambushed, a truck ridden with explosives blew up near his car, forcing his sedan to stop. The reports added that at least five gunmen then emerged and started firing at Fakhrizadeh's car continuously, killing the scientist and his bodyguard. 

After the incident, Iran wrote a letter to the UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres and the UNSC claiming there are “serious indications of Israeli responsibility” and Iran would be looking to defend itself. While taking to Twitter, Zarif called on the international community and asked them to condemn the act and end the “state terror”. 

READ: Iran Chief Justice Prays Over Slain Scientist Body

‘..Will make them regret their action’ 

In the aftermath, President Rouhani also said that the heinous assassination would not disrupt the will of the youth and scientists to follow the path of accelerated scientific growth and conquer the peaks of pride, instead it has made them even more “determined to continue the path of this precious martyr”. An adviser to Iran’s supreme leader, Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, had also vowed retaliation. “We will strike as thunder at the killers of this oppressed martyr and will make them regret their action,” tweeted Hossein Dehghan. 

READ: It Won't Slow Us: Iran's Rouhani Calls Out 'usurper' Israel For Scientist's Assassination

Meanwhile, as per reports, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu in 2018 had mentioned Fakhrizahed's name publicly, and said: "remember that name". The incident took place days before the 10-year death anniversary of Majid Shahriari, an Iranian nuclear scientist who was assassinated in 2010. Iran had accused Israel and the United States of killing Majid.

The outgoing US President Donald Trump retweeted a post by an Israeli journalist Yossi Melman, who informed about Fakhrizahed's killing on the micro-blogging site and wrote, "His death is a major psychological and professional blow for Iran". The assassination comes months after Iran and the United States were on the brink of war over the killing of Iranian general Qassem Soleimani in Baghdad by the US forces. 

READ: Iran's President Vows Revenge Over Slain Military Scientist

READ: Iran's Top Nuclear Scientist Fakhrizadeh Assassinated; Tehran Alleges 'Israeli Role'