The assassination of Iranian nuclear physicist Mohsen Fakhrizadeh will not go unanswered
This was stated by Iranian Defense Minister Amir Khatami during the farewell ceremony for those killed in Tehran, which was broadcast by state television. According to him, the purpose of the murder was to undermine the cohesion of society, but the people behind the assassination did not succeed.
As you know, nuclear scientist Mohsen Fakhrizadeh was killed in an assassination attempt in Tehran province on November 27. Iranian news agency Fars released details of the assassination attempt. On the morning of that day, Fakhrizadeh and his wife in an armored car, accompanied by three vehicles with security, left the city of Rostamkol in the Mazandaran province in northern Iran towards the village of Absard. When the shots rang out, the scientist, according to the agency, mistook them for a collision or engine trouble. His car stopped, Fakhrizade went out into the street, and at that moment they opened fire on him from automatic weapons with remote control. Two bullets, according to the agency, hit the side, one in the back, injuring the spine. The victim died on the way to the hospital.
The Iranian Defense Ministry confirmed that the scientist was the head of the organization of research and innovation at the department. According to some reports, he specialized in a defense system against a nuclear strike.
The question of the main beneficiary of this assassination does not arise. Israel’s interest is too obvious. And where the Israelis are, there are the Americans. The majority of commentators proceed from this.
According to the former head of the US CIA John Brennan, if the authorities of a country are behind the assassination attempt, then such an “act of state terrorism would be regarded as a flagrant violation of international law”.
“It was a criminal act and extremely reckless. It threatens to entail deadly retaliation and a new round of regional conflict”, – Brennan said. He called on the Iranian authorities “to wait for the return of responsible American leadership to the international arena and resist the desire to respond to the actions of the alleged perpetrators”.
Brennan emphasized that such a murder is very different from attacks on militants banned in Russia by IS and Al-Qaeda, attacks against which are still sanctioned in one way or another by the international community.
The assassination of Mohsen Fakhrizadeh could provoke hostilities in the Middle East, said Russian Senator Konstantin Kosachev.
“Whoever was behind this murder, it can certainly be characterized as a terrorist attack aimed at destabilizing the situation in the region, as well as provoking a tough reaction from Iran”, – he wrote on Facebook.
The parliamentarian noted that now the development of the situation will depend on how Iran is investigating the incident, as well as on the position of other states.
He recalled the publications of the American media, which wrote that the US Navy aircraft carrier “Nimitz” and the accompanying strike group were ordered to return to the Persian Gulf zone. Kosachev noted that the Pentagon ordered the deployment of the Nimitz in the Persian Gulf just prior to the assassination of Fakhrizade, and the US Central Command announced last week that a squadron of F-16 fighters from Germany to the United Arab Emirates would be deployed “to restrain aggression and ensure security and stability”.
“All these preparations testify to the readiness for large-scale hostilities, for which a trigger is needed, which may well become the death of an Iranian nuclear engineer”, – he added.
Kosachev called the incident “dangerous games” with unpredictable consequences.
Meanwhile, Iran announced its readiness to revise the Treaty on the Non-Proliferation of Nuclear Weapons (NPT). Formally, this will be a response to the US withdrawal from the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action (JCPOA). However, Tehran believes that the suspension of the voluntary implementation of the additional protocol to the agreement with the IAEA on the verification of nuclear activities carried out in the country is a “minimal response” to the murder of Mohsen Fakhrizadeh.
Many experts are inclined to believe that Donald Trump started all this. He agreed to transfer power to Joe Biden, but before leaving, he decided to unleash a war with Iran, so that the Democrats had “something to do”. And the reason for the American invasion will be the fact of the resumption of the Iranian nuclear program after the assassination of Fakhrizadeh.
According to some media reports, the idea of a preemptive strike on Iran originated in Trump after the IAEA published another report on the development of the Iranian nuclear program. It says that after the refusal of the Islamic Republic to comply with the terms of the JCPOA, the country’s reserves of highly enriched uranium have increased. Journalists write that the outrage of the US president knew no bounds, but Mike Pence and Mike Pompeo persuaded him not to get excited, explaining that a strike on Iran would provoke an unnecessary escalation of violence.
There is no confirmed data on American plans. But Israel acknowledged that they had received instructions to prepare for a possible confrontation. The answer may not be inflicted directly, but through Iranian proxy troops in Syria, the Gaza Strip or Lebanon, sources explain to journalists.
The topic of Trump’s readiness to start a war with Iran arose before Fakhrizade was killed. And after this assassination attempt, history acquires a complete logic.
On the other hand, experts note that such an operation needs to be prepared for a very long time, the training of agents directly on the territory of Iran is worth a lot, and constant and effective intelligence is also needed. In general, it is impossible to organize it under the influence of the moment. So, seriously suspecting Trump that he is solving the problem of political revenge in such a Jesuit way is probably not worth it.
One way or another, the fears of Tel Aviv and Washington are understandable. Tehran’s authority in the Middle East is growing. Until the last moment, experts proceeded from the fact that Israel has no desire to enter into a direct military clash with Iran. But the latent confrontation, as we can see, is intensifying, acquiring very obvious forms. The war in the region is taking on clear prospects.
But there is a precedent – the murder of Soleimani. Then the parties still decided not to risk it. Iran, as you know, struck at empty military bases, from where the Americans had previously evacuated personnel. Analysts admit that this will happen now.
According to Senator Alexei Pushkov, killing Fakhrizade will not lead to war.
“Tehran is interested in the return of the United States to the agreement on Iran’s nuclear program. It is clear that the assassination was aimed at raising tensions and disrupting such a scenario. Iran will not give a reason for war: this is what its enemies are waiting for”, – Pushkov wrote on Twitter.
The senator’s opinion is shared by many of his colleagues. They reason as follows: Israel and Saudi Arabia fear the resumption of the negotiation process between Iran and the United States, which will result in the end of the blockade. In the last days of the presidency, they pushed Trump to a decision and Israel organized a sabotage. If Iran starts a war of retaliation, then Biden, who took the presidency, will not be able to return to an agreement with Iran.
Optimists are confident that Iran will not succumb to provocation. But they are also convinced that Tehran will find an asymmetric response and hit the organizers of the assassination attempt, since it is still impossible to refuse revenge. It’s just where, how and when – we can only guess. But sooner or later it will definitely happen. As you know, revenge is a dish that is served cold.
Political Analytics