Published 06:58 IST, December 14th 2020
Iran bestows posthumous military honour on slain nuclear scientist Mohsen Fakhrizadeh
The medal was awarded to Fakhrizadeh's family by Iran’s General Baqeri, which carried the signature of the Supreme Leader of the Islamic Revolution.
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Iran’s supreme leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei awarded the prestigious Medal of Nasr, one of Iran's armed forces' highest medals to his slain nuclear scientist Mohsen Fakhrizadeh, Iran state news agency IRNA confirmed. The medal of honour was awarded to Fakhrizadeh's family by General Baqeri, which carried the signature of the Supreme Leader of the Islamic Revolution. Fakhrizadeh was described as "a distinguished nuclear and defense scientist” by Ayatollah Ali Khamenei who had earlier granted him martyrdom.
"Major General Bagheri, Chief of Staff of the Armed Forces, visited the house of the martyred scientist Mohsen Fakhrizadeh this morning. He met with the family of the martyr and presented the first-class Order of Nasr medal, which had been granted and signed by the Supreme Leader," a press release published on Khamenei’s site read. Furthermore, Iran’s armed forces chief of staff Major General Mohammad Bagheri reportedly said that the decoration was meant for honourable servicemen who defended the Islamic revolution, Iran’s territorial integrity and independence, and served in the line of duty.
Iran had earlier awarded the assassinated nuclear scientist martyr status as his mortal remains were brought for the funeral ceremony in an outdoor area of the defence ministry. Khamenei had sworn a "definitive punishment" for the perpetrators as he condemned the brutal mercenaries for carrying out the high profile military assassination.
Today, the chief of staff of #Iran's Armed Forces presented the Medal of Nasr with Khamenei's signature to #Fakhrizadeh's family. This award has been given in the past to figures like Hassan Shahsafi, the former commander of IRIAF. 1/2 pic.twitter.com/lKbdLzQNCF
— Jason Brodsky (@JasonMBrodsky) December 13, 2020
Iran made 'arrests'
Earlier this week, an adviser to the Iranian parliament speaker, Hossein Amir Abdollahian claimed that Iran had made arrests in connection with the Fakhrizadeh assassination. Abdollahian said in a televised address on Iran’s Arabic-language Al-Alam TV that perpetrators of the assassination, some of whom have been identified and even arrested by the security services, will not escape justice.
Dubbed as the founder of Iran’s nuclear program in the 2000s, Fakhrizadeh is reported to have held discreet information and security details of 11 guards when he was shot at with a satellite-controlled machine gun outfitted with "artificial intelligence” on a highway near Tehran.
(Image Credit: Twitter/@JasonMBrodsky)
06:58 IST, December 14th 2020