TEHRAN – Sri Lanka has denounced the assassinations of top Iranian nuclear scientist Mohsen Fakhrizadeh as a “terrorist killing”.

In a message to his Iranian counterpart Mohammad Bagher Ghalibaf, Sri Lankan Parliament Speaker Mahinda Yapa Abeywardane said Colombo condemns terrorist killings such as the assassination of Mohsen Fakhrizadeh.

“Learning of the sorrowful news of the assassination of the famed Iranian nuclear scientist Mohsen Fakhrizadeh was very discouraging,” the speaker of the Sri Lankan Parliament said.

He added, “Sri Lanka always condemns such terrorist killings.”

Abeywardane said this kind of violence has convinced all that there is a serious need for unity against terrorism.

The Sri Lankan speaker has extended his condolences to the Iranian people on the loss of Fakhrizadeh, whom he described as a “valuable human”.

On November 27 at 14:30, the convoy of Fakhrizadeh suddenly came under attack on a highway in the small city of Absard in Damavand County, about 40 kilometers east of the capital Tehran. The scientist lost his life during the attack. Iranian officials were quick to point the finger at Israel, which has carried out many assassination operations against Iranian nuclear scientists over the past decade. Foreign Minister Mohammad Javad Zarif said in a tweet on the day of the assassination that the attack was carried out with “serious indications of Israeli role.” Since then, several Iranian officials have vowed to take revenge against Israel.

SM/PA