Iran accuses Israel, US of killing scientist

An Iranian nuclear scientist was killed by a car bomb yesterday that Teheran immediately blamed on Israel and Washington, worsening a tense international stand-off over its atomic programme.

The White House denied any involvement. Iranian Vice President Mohammad Reza Rahimi told state television the murder of Mostafa Ahmadi Roshan would not stop Iran making “progress” in its nuclear activities.

Iranian officials noted the assassination method – two men on a motorbike attaching a magnetic bomb to the target’s vehicle – was similar to that used in the killings of three other scientists over the past two years.

Parliament erupted with yells of “Death to Israel” and “Death to America” after yesterday’s attack.

In Washington, National Security Council spokesman Tommy Vietor said: “The United States had absolutely nothing to do with this. We strongly condemn all acts of violence, including acts of violence like this.”

Ahmadi Roshan, 32, died immediately in the blast outside a university in east Tehran. His driver/bodyguard later died, the Fars and ILNA news agencies reported, and a third occupant of the car was wounded and in hospital.

Ahmadi Roshan was a deputy director at Iran’s Natanz uranium enrichment facility, according to the website of the university he graduated from a decade ago, Sharif University.

He was also an academic and member of the Basij militia controlled by Iran’s Revolutionary Guards, the Basij said in a statement.

The scientist specialised in making polymeric membranes to separate gas. Iran uses a gas separation method to enrich its uranium.

Iranian media and officials accused the International Atomic Energy Agency of having passed Ahmadi Roshan’s name to Israeli and US intelligence. “IAEA inspectors met him recently,” according to Mehr news agency.

Iran’s atomic energy organisation issued a statement, quoted by the country’s Arabic-language broadcaster Al-Alam, confirming Ahmadi Roshan “was working in the nuclear industry.”

It said “the futile actions by the criminal Israeli regime and America will not disrupt the path the Iranian people have chosen” and nuclear activities will continue.