TEHRAN – Belgium, Iraq and South Korea have deplored the assassination of Iranian nuclear scientist Mohsen Fakhrizadeh.

The condemnation by Belgium came after the country’s Foreign Minister and Deputy Prime Minister Sophie Wilmes talked to Iranian Foreign Minister Mohammad Javad Zarif on the phone on Wednesday.

During a meeting with Iranian Ambassador to Baghdad Iraj Masjedi on Wednesday, Iraqi President Barham Salih also said his country denounces any violence and aggression which endangers the countries and their citizens’ security, the Iraqi president remarked, according to Fars.

Iranian nuclear scientist Mohsen Fakhrizadeh's car was targeted by an explosion and machinegun fire in a small city 40 kilometers northeast of Tehran on Friday. The scientist and one of his companions were immediately taken to a nearby hospital but he succumbed to his injuries.

Also, South Korea on Wednesday denounced the assassination of the leading nuclear scientist as a criminal act that does not help bring stability and peace in the region.

"We stress that this kind of violent criminal act is not conducive to stability and peace in the Middle Eastern region," ministry spokesperson Choi Young-sam said in a commentary.

"Given the uncertainties surrounding the situation in the Middle East, our government opposes any act that amplifies tensions and affects regional stability," Choi said, According to Yonhap. 

Immediately after the terrorist attack, Foreign Minister Zarif tweeted that the assassination bears all the hallmarks of the Israeli regime.

An informed source told Press TV on Monday that the remains of the weapon used in the Friday assassination of senior nuclear scientist Mohsen Fakhrizadeh show that it was made in Israel.

The history of Tel Aviv’s sabotage targeting Iran’s nuclear energy program is as old as the program itself.

Many observers believe Israel is not able to carry out such dangerous operations without the prior information and support of the United States which left a landmark nuclear deal with Iran in 2015.

Secretary of Iran’s Supreme National Security Council (SNSC) Ali Shamkhani said that electronic equipment has been used in the “highly complicated” assassination of Fakhrizadeh, and further underlined the role of Israel and the anti-Iran Mojahedin-e Khalq Organization (MKO, also known as the MEK, PMOI, and NCRI) in the terror attack.

“Unfortunately, the operation was very complicated and was carried out by using electronic equipment and no one (terrorist) was present on the scene. But some clues are available, and the identity and records of the designer of the operation has been discovered by us,” Shamkhani said on Monday.

“Certainly, Monafeqin (hypocrites as MKO members are called in Iran) have played a role and certainly, the Zionist regime and Mossad are the criminal mastermind of this incident,” he added.

Early in 2018, the Israeli sources had acknowledged that Mossad had tried to assassinate an Iranian nuclear scientist, but its operation failed. 

PA/PA