TEHRAN – Majid Takht-Ravanchi, Iran’s ambassador to the United Nations, has held the U.S. and Israeli regimes responsible for the assassination of the top Iranian scientist Mohsen Fakhrizadeh.

“The cowardly assassination of Martyr Fakhrizadeh – with serious indications of Israeli responsibility in it – is another desperate attempt to wreak havoc on our region as well as to disrupt Iran’s scientific and technological development,” Takht Ravanchi wrote in a letter to UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres and President of the UN Security Council Inga Rhonda King on Friday.

“I am writing to inform you that today, 27 November 2020 in Absard city of Tehran province, Mr. Mohsen Fakhrizadeh, a prominent Iranian scientist, was assassinated in a terrorist attack,” he said, IRNA reported.

He said one of the latest services of Martyr Fakhrizadeh was his outstanding role in the development of the first indigenous COVID-19 test kit, which is a great contribution to Iran’s national efforts in curbing the COVID-19 pandemic at a time when the country is under inhumane sanctions of the United States, strictly preventing its access to humanitarian goods including medicines and medical equipment.

Fakhrizadeh was assassinated in a terrorist attack on Friday afternoon. His assassination took place in Absard city of Damavand County, about 40 kilometers northeast of Tehran.  

Iran’s ambassador to the UN says Martyr Fakhrizadeh had outstanding role in development of the first indigenous COVID-19 test kit, as Iran is under inhumane sanctions.

The expert was assassinated in his car by terrorists, who blew up a pickup – a Nissan sedan – laden with explosives on the way of the car carrying Fakhrizadeh and then started shooting at his car and security guards.

Reportedly, three to four terrorists were killed in the armed clash.

“Over the current decade, several top Iranian scientists have been targeted and assassinated in terrorist attacks and our firm evidence clearly indicates that certain foreign quarters have been behind such assassinations,” he stated. “While during the past forty years, no amount of pressure and terrorist attacks were able to prevent us from achieving science and technology needed for our socio-economic development.”

The envoy warned against any adventurist moves by the United States and Israel against Iran, particularly during the remaining period of the current administration of Donald Trump, saying the Islamic Republic of Iran reserves its rights to take all necessary measures to defend its people and secure its interests.

“The Islamic Republic of Iran condemns, in the strongest possible terms, the criminal assassination of Martyr Fakhrizadeh, and expects the Secretary-General of the United Nations and the Security Council to strongly condemn this inhumane terrorist act and take necessary measures against its perpetrators,” Takht-Ravanchi added.

He also requested that the letter be circulated as a document of the Security Council.

In a tweet later in the day, the Iranian ambassador also urged the UN secretary general and the UN Security Council to condemn the state-sponsored assassination.

“What was clearly a state-sponsored assassination of our prominent scientist was also a clear violation of int'l law, designed to wreak havoc on our region,” he wrote. “It must be condemned by #UNSG & #UNSC.”

“Iran won’t ever shy away from deterring aggression, or from protecting its people,” he added.

MH/PA