Was that the goal? Earlier this year, Iran said it would abandon limitations on enriching uranium, thereby refusing to adhere to the nuclear deal that it signed with six major powers. And on Monday, Rear Admiral Shamkhani, who heads the Supreme National Security Council, confirmed it had been a remote attack, using "special methods".
He said Iranian intelligence and security services had been aware of a plot to assassinate Fakhrizadeh, and had even predicted where the attack might take place. On who was to blame, he singled out exiled Iranian opposition group the Mujahideen-e Khalq and Israel.
Israel's Intelligence Minister, Eli Cohen, said on Monday in an interview with a radio station that he did not know who was behind the killing. However, an unnamed senior Israeli official involved in tracking Iranian nuclear activities was quoted by the New York Times as saying that "Iran's aspirations for nuclear weapons, promoted by Mr Fakhrizadeh, posed such a menace that the world should thank Israel".
Machine guns and other remotely controlled ground weapons are now widely used across the Middle East , according to a report by Forbes. They are employed both by professional armies, such as those mounted on combat vehicles, but also by militants who are known to have put them in vehicles or stationary posts. Iran's conflicting versions of how its top nuclear scientist was ambushed and killed appear to contradict each other.
The initial account spoke of a dozen armed assailants opening fire on the scientist's convoy and exchanging shots with his bodyguards. The later version, involving both a remote-controlled vehicle and even more bizarrely, a remote-controlled gun, sounds less plausible, although not impossible. The only way an assassination squad could make sure they had finished the job would be to have eyes on the target.
If the earlier version were true then Iran's powerful security and intelligence establishment would face the embarrassing challenge of having to hunt down a large team of assassins just a short drive from the capital.
One thing is clear though: this has been a massive failure of counter-intelligence for Iran's security chiefs and some hard questions are now being asked.
Fakhrizadeh's funeral was held at the defence ministry in Tehran after which his remains were transferred to a cemetery in the north of the capital. State television showed the flag-draped coffin being carried by troops, and senior officials - including Intelligence Minister Mahmoud Alavi, Revolutionary Guards commander Gen Hossein Salami and nuclear chief Ali Akbar Salehi - paying their respects.
Citing the archive as evidence, Netanyahu said Israeli agents had retrieved lots of documents from a site in Tehran. At the time, Iran said the documents were fake. In , Israeli broadcaster Kan carried an interview with former Prime Minister Ehud Olmert in which he hinted Fakhrizadeh could be a target. He was also believed to be a senior officer in the elite Revolutionary Guard. The IAEA long wanted to query Fakhrizadeh as part of a protracted investigation into whether Iran carried out illicit nuclear weapons research.
Terrorism is always terrorism, anyone who commits an act of terrorism is a terrorist. We oppose illegality in intl. Germany called for calm and said all sides should avoid taking any steps that could lead to escalation. The trial went ahead despite Assadollah Assadi, 48, refusing to appear in the dock, claiming diplomatic immunity.
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