The news of the assassination of the prominent Iranian scientist, Mohsen Fakhrizadeh, was shocking to many around the world. Though it has been clear that the assassination has provoked the Iranian people as well as the public of its friends, no one can say that it is going to be an easy case to handle in the short or long term. 

The unfortunate crime looks like a trap that was set for both Iran and the coming American administration led by Joe Biden. Iran cannot ignore the assassination nor hastily respond to it. At the same time, the response must be carefully planned since both the departing American President, Donald Trump, and the “Israeli” are attentively waiting.

Opinions expressed among the Iranians and their allies show strong resentment towards the assassination of scientist Fakhrizadeh. There is accumulating bitterness the streets of Iran and its allies are revealing towards the blunt assassinations in the region from Iran to Iraq, Syria, Egypt, Palestine…. and reluctance on the part of the international community to stop them. 

The resentment is established in the fact that any citizen who lives within the boundary of this region’s states is not safe from being subjected to any attempt of assassination. This violation of the states’ sovereignty is becoming a source of huge concerns to the nations’ citizens who believe in the sovereignty of their country and expecting measures to deter these pernicious acts. The citizens are expecting deterrent procedures to be taken to stop the “Israeli” attacks and the assassination of their scientists and leaders.

Consequently, when a sovereign state like Iran is attacked it is difficult to accept the fact that Iran may not respond. However, Iran is more or less under the microscope. Even though more than two weeks have passed after the assassination of Fakhrizadeh, the world is still waiting for the revenge of his killing.

The ongoing assassinations of scholars in the region are a clear message from the West, not only Israel and the U.S., that the Arab region and West Asia should be prevented from building their own advanced technology, develop their industrial independence, and maintain their security. 

When General Qassem Soleimani was assassinated in Iraq with his comrade Abu Mahdi al-Muhandess, it was a great shock to the whole world. I know Syrian officers and Islamic freedom fighters who have cried and mourned the two men. The Americans bluntly committed this act of assassination. The Iranians’ response in striking the American military base in Ein al-Assad was of great importance. However, when Tehran announced that the real revenge for the Soleimani killing was yet to be expected, actually everyone was in a state of anticipation, whether it was Iran’s friends or its enemies.

The Iranians promised retaliation was yet to come. Almost one year has passed since the incident and Iran has not responded. To many, the promised revenge has failed to come! Logically, the Iranian government and the security apparatuses are the best judges of how and when to retaliate, but the people and governments are waiting. The delay must have encouraged the enemies to execute another assassination, since experience has shown that Iran may need to weigh its pros and cons before ahead, and this might take another year.  
Failing to fulfill the promise the Iranian government made to revenge Soleimani’s assassination, definitely opened a window of opportunity for Israeli. Unfortunately, while the Israelis are playing on the lost time factor, the Iranians are lost in it. Israeli wants to achieve its aim by declaring American war on Iran, if not by scoring in hitting strategic targets as much as it could, such as assassinations, nuclear targets, annihilating VIPs, and getting away with it.  On the other hand, the Iranian hands seem to be tied because the Americans are going through a transitional period.  

The timing of the assassination is not arbitrary and totally dependent on the time factor. Iran has the right to avoid war on its land; it is only fair to be reluctant to go through another war experience. However, it does not mean that if the war was enforced on Iran, it would not face it. Still, the beating of the war drums was heard with the movement of the American aircraft carrier Nimitz into the Persian Gulf, and the anticipation of devilish actions was clear in the arrival of the Boeing B-52 bombers in the Persian Gulf region.

At the same time, the United States clinched a deal on the sale of F-35 aircraft fighters with the United Arab Emirates. The deal was supposed to serve as camouflage for any Israeli attack on Iran. It was aimed to increase the tension in the Persian Gulf. These steps were accompanied by Americans warning messages to Israel of any sudden attacks. Finally, it is important to take into consideration that after the normalization treaties between the UAE and Israel, the Israelis have extended their existence in the Persian Gulf.

It is clear that Trump’s plan was meant to siege the Iranian nuclear program. He intended to agitate Biden’s coming to the White House. At the same time, he aimed to achieve the ultimate goal of undermining any attempt to revive the nuclear deal with Iran. 

Obviously, the movement of the USS Nimitz Carrier implies the U.S.’s plan to threaten Iran. Accordingly, Americans need a justification to start a war. It was expected that the assassination may drive Iran to retaliate and start a war. Nonetheless, this demonstrates the stupidity of the parties who committed the assassination or logistically participated in its execution. The Iranian patience has hindered Trump’s eagerness to find an excuse on the national level to start a war in the region. 

Accordingly, the High Representative of the European Union for Foreign Affairs and Security Policy, Josep Borrell, has said in an interview on Euro news that the party that executed the assassination of Fakhrizadeh is seeking an escalation of conflict in the region, especially those who oppose the nuclear agreement with Iran. 

After the assassination of Fakhrizadah, Joe Biden, on the 4th of December, revealed his intentions to go back to the nuclear deal with Iran. He criticized Trump’s policy towards Iran; however, at the same time, Biden said in his interview with CNN: “The bottom line is that we can’t allow Iran to get nuclear weapons.” Biden in his declaration is playing a sleazy game. Biden is trying to extend “swing policy” since the Iranians these days need to be sturdy; the Americans need to be more flexible. 

However, all American governments are the same! On the 16th of December, the day in which officials, who are being tasked to organize the Memorial Day for General Soleimani, met with Ayatollah Khamenei, the Leader of the Islamic Revolution re-reminded of the promise Iran has made to avenge the Soleimani assassination; however, he left the timing to the best knowledge of the experts. He also promised that America will pay for its crimes. The price will be its definite exit from the region. Ayatollah Khamenei pinpointed the fact: whoever rules in the United States is eventually an American. 

It is most likely that the revenge will be coming soon, and might come as a New Year gift to all the lovers of Soleimani and Fakhrizadeh in Iran and the region.

The views expressed in this article are those of the writer.