| Assassination of Mohsen Fakhrizadeh | |
| Partof: | Assassination of Iranian nuclear scientists |
| Location: | Absard, Damavand, Iran |
| Target: | Mohsen Fakhrizadeh |
| Type: | Assassination |
| Fatalities: | 1–4[1] [2] |
| Injuries: | Unknown |
| Accused: |  Israel |
On 27 November 2020, Mohsen Fakhrizadeh, a senior Iranian nuclear scientist, was assassinated in an ambush while he was in his car, which was during through the town of Absard, located east of Tehran.
Israel has not officially taken responsibility for the operation.
Mohsen Fakhrizadeh was a senior Iranian nuclear scientist, born in 1958 in the city of Qom. During his career, he was a central figure in promoting various nuclear programs in Iran. Mohsen Fakhrizadeh headed Iran's Defense Innovation and Research Organization and was involved in the Iranian nuclear program for decades, when his name appeared in many intelligence reports as a leading figure in the Iranian scientific project AMAD Project suspected by Israel of developing nuclear weapons.
From 2007 to November 2020, the Israeli Mossad intelligence agency is suspected to have assassinated a total of five Iranian scientists and injured one more, using a variety of methods, including poisoning, bombs that were activated remotely, and using assassins on motorcycles whom shot at vehicles in which the targets were sitting.
Fakhrizadeh's security team advised him not to travel on the day of November 27, 2020 due to a higher risk level that day. According to one of his sons, "[Fakhrizadeh] refused because he had an important meeting, and he was supposed to lecture to students. He insisted on returning to Tehran the same day."[3]
Ali Simkhani, the secretary of Iran's Supreme National Security Council, revealed that the Iranians did have an intelligence report that predicted the assassination of Fakhrizadeh. However, the Iranians ended up ignoring the intelligence information due to many warnings about the possibility of an assassination.[4]
The year before Fakhrizadeh's assassination there was an escalation in tensions between Iran and the United States and its allies. In January 2020, prior to the assassination of Fakhrizadeh, the United States assassinated Major General Qassim Suleimani.
On 27 November 2020 Fakhrizadeh was ambushed and assassinated while driving in a convoy near Tehran which carried eleven bodyguards.[5] Initial reports suggested that a Nissan truck carrying explosives and gunmen were involved, resulting in a shootout that killed several bodyguards and attackers.[6] [7] However, contradictory accounts later emerged, including claims that the assassination was carried out remotely using a machine gun controlled via satellite, equipped with AI and facial recognition technology.[8] In the attack, which lasted three minutes, Fakhrizadeh was killed after being shot multiple times, while his wife remained unharmed. Some experts questioned the plausibility of the remote-control technology used in the attack.
Subsequent investigations by various media outlets, including the British Jewish Chronicle and the New York Times, indicated that the Israeli Mossad orchestrated the assassination without direct American involvement. The reports confirmed the use of a remote-controlled machine gun smuggled into Iran in parts and assembled locally. According to the British Jewish Chronicle and the New York Times, the operation involved over 20 people and months of surveillance, and culminated in the assassination of Fakhrizadeh by Mossad agents whom controlled the weapon from a command center located outside of Iran. The New York Times detailed the intricate planning, including the use of AI to compensate for delays and ensure accuracy, ultimately leading to the successful execution of the assassination.
After the assassination, Fakhrizadeh was transported by a police helicopter to a nearby hospital, where he eventually died after all resuscitation efforts failed. After the assassination the Iranian security forces attempted failed to locate the assassins. No organization has officially claimed responsibility for Fakhrizadeh's assassination. On December 8, the Iranian authorities arrested a number of people suspected of being involved in the attack, but Iran never released any details about who exactly they arrested. On February 9, 2021, the Iranian Minister of Intelligence, Mahmoud Alavi, stated that someone from Iran's armed forces was suspected of being involved in the assassination.
The assassination of Fakhrizadeh provoked widespread reactions globally. Iran's leaders accused Israel of carrying out the assassination, though Israel did not officially claim responsibility. The incident ignited calls within Iran for revenge and to heighten security measures for the country's top officials. President Hassan Rouhani assured that Iran would not fall into the "trap" of hasty reactions that might escalate tensions further in the Middle East.
The assassination of Fakhrizadeh polarized the Iranian leadership. The Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei and senior Revolutionary Guards members, viewed the event as proof of the unreliability of the United States as a negotiating partner, criticizing the original nuclear agreement and expressing skepticism towards the promises of the US. In contrast, President Hassan Rouhani and moderate elements in Iran favored continued diplomacy to ease the severe economic sanctions on Iran.
Fakhrizadeh played a crucial role in Iran's nuclear program, notably in uranium enrichment and developing the heavy water reactor in Arak. His assassination was a significant blow to Iran's nuclear efforts but did not halt progress in its ongoing projects. The incident underscored Fakhrizadeh's importance in Iran's nuclear program and the program's potential vulnerability.
The assassination took place after the election of Joe Biden, and therefore it raised doubts about future negotiations on renewing the Iranian nuclear deal. President Rouhani warned against reacting to an Israeli "trap" that could derail the resumption of nuclear talks.