Latest news with #FereydoonAbbasi
The National
5 days ago
- Politics
- The National
Can Israel kill off Iran's nuclear programme?
As a clandestine enterprise, Iran 's nuclear programme was always as much about the scientists inside it as the leadership behind it. So it came as little surprise that the name Fereydoon Abbasi was on the target list when Israel launched its offensive against the programme last week. Abbasi had a distinguished career, which included a stint as head of the Atomic Energy Organisation of Iran. In a TV panel appearance not so long ago, he sounded sanguine about the known threat to his life. He said that he was living normally, having handed over the duties under the programme to younger colleagues. This does beg the question as to why he was still on Israel's target list. But what cannot be denied is the importance of leading figures in programmes like the one Abbasi and his colleagues operated for Iran over several decades. Parallels can be made with Pakistan's nuclear programme, which made the late Abdul Qadeer Khan something of an international man of mystery. Had Khan not acquired the drawings of centrifuges while working in the Netherlands – blueprints that were later used in the Iranian programme as well – it is highly unlikely that Pakistan's nuclear capability would ever have been built. Khan also set up a procurement network that stretched far and wide to allow his country's programme to assemble the highly engineered equipment to master the atom and then weaponise it. Alex Younger, the former head of the UK's intelligence agency MI6, said on Monday that he did not believe Iran had crossed the threshold necessary to make a dash towards weaponisation, despite the outbreak of war. Instead, Mr Younger viewed Iran's programme of enrichment as its tool of leverage against isolation that had resulted from its failures to comply with the International Atomic Energy Agency's inspections regime. There is little doubt Abbasi was the central figure in the long-running interplay between Iran and the IAEA. The enrichment sites in Natanz, Fordow, Arak and Isfahan were built under his aegis and chosen for particular qualities, including factors such as the aridity of the region or its geological properties to facilitate maximum protection of underground facilities. In the game of nerves that lies behind these operations, Abbasi had known the value of these precautions. He had over the years seen his colleagues being assassinated with regularity by Mossad. The first attempt on his own life came in 2011. Something of a technological arms race has gone into these assassinations. A series of detonations involving magnetic bombs delivered on motorbikes or hidden on cars killed at least five of the scientists around that time. The 2011 attempt on Abbasi's life involved a motorcyclist attaching an explosive device on the side of the scientist's car. His colleague Mohsen Fakhrizadeh was killed on a Tehran highway almost exactly a decade later, when a satellite and AI-controlled device used a machine gun mounted on a Nissan pickup. These attacks continued over the years. In 2015, the distinguished experts Siegfried S Hecker and Abbas Milani argued that the assassination campaign was in principle deeply counterproductive. Within the field of nuclear research, the attacks amounted to a setback for the kind of international collaboration that was needed to 'deal effectively' with nuclear risks. 'Killing nuclear scientists makes reducing the threat of nuclear war harder, not easier,' their paper said. In 2015, distinguished experts argued that an Israeli assassination campaign against Iranian nuclear scientists was in principle deeply counterproductive In the world of procurement, there is a view that the opportunities for theft and replication of advanced weapon systems is diminishing – as is the role of people like Abbasi and Fakhrizadeh. The size of Iran's nuclear programme and the wider advanced missile manufacturing industry have grown so large that key figures could not possibly hold it all in their heads. A wide range of individuals is now undoubtedly involved. Eliminating one key figure is no longer a magical intervention. Ultimately, it is still an open question as to whether or not Abbasi's lifetime work will have opened the gate to an Iranian nuclear arsenal. Others from the same firmament have recently talked in these terms, indicating that the consensus at the highest levels of the system was now pointing in that direction. Former Iran foreign minister Kamal Kharazi, who heads supreme leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei's Strategic Council on Foreign Relations advisory, last year intimated that his country had the technological capability to make weapons and was under pressure to widen its military doctrine so that it could have access to its resources. Kharazi's intervention put a question mark over the role of the religious doctrine governing the policy, too. Nonetheless, Israel has set out to dismantle the matrix that has brought Iran to the brink of being a nuclear-armed state. The targeting of scientists shows that these men played a role every bit as important as the leaders in Iran's military ranks and the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps, some of whom were also killed last week.
News18
6 days ago
- Politics
- News18
Israeli Strikes Crippled Iran's Military-Nuclear Programme, May Trigger Regime Collapse: Sources
Iran's Nuclear Capabilities Affected The assassination of at least nine senior nuclear scientists – including prominent figures like Fereydoon Abbasi, former head of Iran's Atomic Energy Organisation, and Mohammad Mehdi Tehranchi – has deprived Iran of decades of specialised knowledge in uranium enrichment and weapons design. Their losses could delay Iran's nuclear advancements by years as new scientists would require extensive training and access to compromised facilities. Additionally, Israeli strikes also destroyed electrical systems powering underground centrifuges in the Natanz nuclear facility, causing radiological contamination and disabling enrichment capabilities. The Isfahan nuclear research complex suffered heavy damage, leaving only the Fordow site operational due to its protective mountain bunker design. However, Iran's uranium enrichment capabilities and significant damage to key facilities have obstructed its path to a nuclear weapon. Follow LIVE Updates here Iran's Military Setback The deaths of high-profile military figures, including IRGC Commander Hossein Salami, Armed Forces Chief Mohammad Bagheri, and Emergency Command head Gholam Ali Rashid, have robbed Iran of its most experienced military strategists. These figures were instrumental in proxy warfare and missile programmes. The deaths of military commanders have disrupted the coordination of asymmetric attacks and weakened Iran's so-called 'Axis of Resistance', comprising Hamas, Hezbollah and the Houthis. Sources said Iran's capacity for sustaining conflict has diminished. Israeli strikes destroyed Iran's S-300 air defence systems and critical radar sites, leaving the country vulnerable to future aerial attacks. Moreover, replacement parts are scarce due to Russia's own wartime needs, and they are delaying every supply. The destroyed air defences and missile capabilities forced Iran into costly rebuilding amid sanctions, and its ability to supply missiles to the Houthis and Russia has been severely impacted. Strikes on solid-fuel mixer facilities at Khojir will stall missile production for at least a year, as Iran cannot domestically manufacture these components and relies on Chinese imports. Advertisement Regime Change In Iran? The strikes have also opened the possibility of a regime change in Iran, as fuel shortages – following Israel's strikes on South Pars gas fields – and water infrastructure risks can lead to civil unrest, sources added.
International Business Times
7 days ago
- Politics
- International Business Times
Israel Says It Killed Nine Top Iranian Nuclear Scientists in Opening Strike
The Israeli Defence Forces (IDF) announced Saturday that it had eliminated nine senior Iranian nuclear scientists in the opening phase of a major military offensive targeting Iran's nuclear program. The strikes began early Friday and mark a significant escalation in the region's long-standing tensions. In a detailed statement, the IDF described the operation as a "critical blow" to Iran's nuclear ambitions. The military said those killed were key contributors to Iran's efforts to develop nuclear weapons, holding decades of experience in nuclear and engineering sciences. The scientists were identified as: Fereydoon Abbasi, nuclear engineering expert Mohammad Mehdi Tehranchi, physicist Akbar Motalebi Zadeh, chemical engineer Saeed Barji, materials engineering specialist Amir Hassan Fakhahi, physicist Abd al-Hamid Minoushehr, reactor physics expert Mansour Asgari, physicist Ahmad Reza Zolfaghari Daryani, nuclear engineer Ali Bakhouei Katirimi, mechanical engineering expert The IDF noted that many among the dead were seen as potential successors to Mohsen Fakhrizadeh, Iran's top nuclear scientist assassinated in 2020 and widely believed to be the architect of Iran's nuclear weapons drive. According to Israeli officials, the scientists were killed in coordinated airstrikes on Tehran, part of a broader assault that also claimed the lives of several senior Iranian military commanders, including six high-ranking officers. The military said the operation was the result of "years-long clandestine intelligence gathering" targeting Iran's nuclear leadership. It involved extensive research by Israeli intelligence analysts, with efforts accelerating over the past year under a classified initiative. "The elimination of these key figures severely impacts Iran's ability to develop a nuclear weapon," the IDF claimed, asserting that the move was part of a compartmentalised military strategy. Further details on the scope of the offensive and Iran's response are yet to emerge. (With inputs from Agencies)
Hans India
14-06-2025
- Politics
- Hans India
Israel claims killing nine Iranian nuclear scientists in opening strikes
Tel Aviv: The Israeli Defence Forces (IDF) on Saturday announced elimination of nine Iranian nuclear scientists during the opening phase of its military operation against Iran's nuclear programme, which began early Friday. Revealing details of the ongoing operation, the IDF described it as a critical blow to Iran's nuclear ambitions. According to the IDF, the nine scientists were instrumental in advancing Iran's efforts to acquire a nuclear weapon. "All the scientists and experts who were eliminated were significant sources of knowledge in the Iranian nuclear project and had decades of cumulative experience in the development of nuclear weapons," the military stated. Those killed in the strikes were identified as Fereydoon Abbasi, a nuclear engineering expert; Mohammad Mehdi Tehranchi, a physicist; Akbar Motalebi Zadeh, a chemical engineering expert; Saeed Barji, an expert in materials engineering; Amir Hassan Fakhahi, a physicist; Abd al-Hamid Minoushehr, an expert in reactor physics; Mansour Asgari, a physicist; Ahmad Reza Zolfaghari Daryani, a nuclear engineer; and Ali Bakhouei Katirimi, a mechanical expert. The IDF added that many of them were considered successors to Mohsen Fakhrizadeh, the late nuclear scientist widely regarded as the "father of the Iranian nuclear project," who was assassinated in 2020. The Israeli military said that the scientists were killed in coordinated and simultaneous airstrikes on Tehran on Friday morning, in the same wave of attacks that also eliminated dozens of senior military commanders, including six top officials. According to the IDF, these strikes were the result of years-long clandestine intelligence gathering focused on Iran's top nuclear minds. "The elimination of the scientists was made possible following in-depth intelligence research that intensified over the past year as part of a classified and compartmentalised IDF plan," the IDF said. It noted that dozens of intelligence researchers had worked on a secretive operation for years, tracking key figures in Iran's nuclear apparatus.
Yahoo
13-06-2025
- Politics
- Yahoo
Israel's overnight strike on Iran in maps and images
Israel has hit Iran with its biggest wave of air strikes in years, targeting the country's nuclear programme, and is promising to continue its attacks. Senior military figures and nuclear scientists were killed in the overnight strikes and there are unconfirmed reports that civilians, including children, were also among the victims. In response, Iran launched about 100 drones towards Israel, most of which were intercepted, according to the Israeli military. Israel said it had launched a another wave of strikes on Friday evening, with reports of more explosions in Iran, but the scale of that attack and the damage caused is not yet clear. Video analysed by the BBC shows multiple strikes overnight in the capital Tehran as well near three reported military sites and Iran's main nuclear facility in Natanz. Israel's military said it had struck "dozens of military targets, including nuclear targets in different areas of Iran". It later released a map of the sites it said it had hit which included nuclear facilities, missile facilities and radar defences, as well as scientists and military commanders. Explosions were first reported in Tehran at about 03:30 local time (01:00 BST), with Iranian state TV saying residential areas were among those hit. Blasts were heard in the north-east of the capital and explosions reported at the airport, according to analysis by the US-based Institute for the Study of War. The BBC has confirmed one of the locations as the site where Iranian media reported that former head of Iran's Atomic Energy Organisation Fereydoon Abbasi and nuclear scientist Mohammad Mehdi Tehranchi were killed. Iran has confirmed that at least six of its nuclear scientists were killed. Iranian state media showed footage of fires burning in buildings and plumes of smoke rising from the city's skyline. Key Iranian commanders have also been killed, including the chief of staff of the armed forces, and the commander-in-chief of the Islamic Revolutionary Guards Corps. Among the other sites hit is Iran's main uranium enrichment facility at Natanz, in the centre of the country. Iranian state TV said it was struck several times, with pictures showing black smoke billowing from the site. Israel's military said the strikes had caused significant damage. The facility, about 225km (140 miles) south of Tehran, has enrichment plants above and below ground. Uranium can be used to produce fuel for commercial nuclear power plants, research reactors or weapons depending on the level of enrichment. The Institute for Science and International Security said satellite images show damage and destruction to several buildings around the complex, including the pilot fuel enrichment plant, which holds centrifuges and research facilities, as well as the on site electrical substation that provides power to the facility. The global nuclear watchdog, the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA), said it was informed by Iranian authorities that there has been no increase in radiation levels at the Natanz plant. Iran has long maintained that its nuclear programme is for civilian purposes only. It has several facilities around Iran, at least some of which have been targeted in the Israeli strikes. But many countries - as well as the IAEA - are not convinced Iran's programme is for civilian purposes alone. It has nuclear facilities spread across much of the country. The strikes come as US talks over Iran's nuclear programme, which began in April, appear to have stalled in recent days. The next round of talks was scheduled for Sunday. US President Donald Trump has urged Iran to "make a deal" on its nuclear programme, "before there is nothing left". Other world leaders have called for restraint on both sides. IAEA head Rafael Grossi said nuclear facilities "must never be attacked" and such strikes have "serious implications for nuclear safety, security and safeguards, as well as regional and international peace and security". In a statement to board members, he called "on all parties to exercise maximum restraint to avoid further escalation", saying "any military action that jeopardises the safety and security of nuclear facilities risks grave consequences for the people of Iran, the region, and beyond".
