US hesitant to speak on Iranian assassination amid fears of ‘ceaseless escalation’

The United States officials are closely monitoring the fallout from the alleged assassination of one of Iran’s top nuclear scientists, however, they are also hesitant about speaking publicly about the issue to avoid further inflaming an already tense situation. Mohsen Fakhrizadeh, who is viewed as one of the masterminds of Iran’s controversial nuclear programme, was assassinated in the outskirts of the capital city Tehran after gunmen attacked his car on Friday, November 27. Following the incident, Iran had alleged that Israel is behind the killing and further called it an “act of terrorism”. 

The assassination of Mohsen came weeks after the International Atomic Energy Agency reported that Iran has 12 times the amount of enriched uranium that is permitted under the 2015 nuclear accord. President Donald Trump had withdrawn the US from the nuclear agreement, a move that was lauded by Israel and the Arab Gulf states. Now, as Joe Biden has been elected at the 46th President of the US, it is believed that he will renew efforts to negotiate with Tehran, however, it was also noted that the recent incident would only complicate an already tough task. 

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While speaking to CNN, US officials said that Mohsen’s death underscores shifting dynamic in the Middle East as Trump leaves office and countries fearful of Iranian aggression ally together in solidarity against Iran. Ben Rhodes, who served as deputy national security adviser under President Barack Obama, also tweeted saying that the attack was an “outrageous action aimed at undermining diplomacy between an incoming US administration and Iran”. He added, “It’s time for the ceaseless escalation to stop”. 

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Mohsen’s death is a ‘big deal’ 

Over the past years, Mohsen has been closely monitored by the US. Back in 2018, US Secretary of State Mike Pompeo had also accused the Iranian government of going out of its way to protect, hide and preserve him because he was so critical to their nuclear programme. However, the US has not yet taken any action or even spoken publicly about his assassination. One US official said that Mohsen’s death was a “big deal,” and further added that the country is still trying to determine exactly what happened. The official also added that the US will look at the typical intelligence streams of information for clues. 

No official comment has made, however, President Trump did retweet an Israeli journalist, who called the death of Mohsen a “major psychological and professional blow for Iran”. The US military, on the other hand, right now believes that unless there is a direct provocation against the US by Iran, there is no justification for a strike. While speaking to the media outlet, another US official said that they are currently monitoring the situation. He further emphasised that it is highly sensitive and the last thing the country needs is a conflict with Iran. 

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