UN Chief calls for restraint amid rising tension after Iranian nuclear scientist's killing

Amid escalating tensions in the Middle East, United Nations has called for restraint stressing that there was a need to “avoid actions” that could worsen the situation. On November 28, Iranian President Hassan Rouhani accused the ‘mercenary Zionist regime’ of the assassination of Mohsen Fakhrizadeh, a top Iranian nuclear scientist. Although Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has denied any kind of involvement, Iranian leaders including supreme leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, have vowed retaliation.

"We have noted the reports that an Iranian nuclear scientist has been assassinated near Tehran today. We urge restraint and the need to avoid any actions that could lead to an escalation of tensions in the region," Farhan Haq, deputy spokesman for UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres, was quoted as saying by xinhuanet.

Mohsen Fakhrizadeh's assasination

Iran's top nuclear scientist Mohsen Fakhrizadeh was murdered in the outskirts of the capital city Tehran after gunmen attacked his car on Friday, November 27. According to the Associated Press, the attack took place in Absard, a village that is considered a retreat for the Iranian elite. 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.  

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Iranian President Hassan Rouhani has accused Israel of killing Mohsen Fakhrizadeh, state TV reported on November 28. Calling it a “terrorist and desperate” act, the Shiite leader asserted that once again, the “evil hands of global arrogance” have been strained with the blood of “mercenary usurper Zionist regime”. Furthermore, he said that Fakhrizadeh’s “martyrdom” reminded the depth of “enemies' malice and grudge”.

“The assassination of martyr [Mohsen] Fakhrizadeh shows our enemies’ despair and the depth of their hatred … His martyrdom will not slow down our achievements,” CGTN  reported citing a Rouhani’s statement.

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

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