A prize-winning Iranian nuclear scientist has died in mysterious circumstances, according to Radio Farda, which is funded by the US State Department and broadcasts to Iran. An intelligence source suggested that Ardeshire Hassanpour, 44, a nuclear physicist, had been assassinated by the Mossad.
Hassanpour worked at a plant in Isfahan where uranium hexafluoride gas is produced. The gas is needed to enrich uranium in another plant at Natanz which has become the focus of concerns that Iran may be developing nuclear weapons.
According to Radio Farda, Iranian reports of Hassanpour’s death emerged on January 21 after a delay of six days, giving the cause as “gas poisoning”. The Iranian reports did not say how or where Hassanpour was poisoned but his death was said to have been announced at a conference on nuclear safety.
Rheva Bhalla of Stratfor, the US intelligence company, claimed on Friday that Hassanpour had been targeted by Mossad and that there was “very strong intelligence” to suggest that he had been assassinated by the Israelis, who have repeatedly threatened to prevent Iran acquiring the bomb.
Hassanpour won Iran’s leading military research prize in 2004 and was awarded top prize at the Kharazmi international science festival in Iran last year.
President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad is expected to announce next Sunday — the 28th anniversary of the Islamic revolution — that 3,000 centrifuges have been installed at Natanz, enabling Iran to move closer to industrial scale uranium enrichment.
Inspectors from the International Atomic Energy Agency say that hundreds of technicians and labourers have been “working feverishly” to assemble equipment at the plant.
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8 Responses
I have found that open (and sometimes even classified) intelligence sources are self serving and highly inaccurate. It is certainly Yad Hashem that the scientist died, but whether it was Mossad or natural causes or something else (harbei sheluchim laMakom) will not be know publically for a long time if ever.
GOOD JOB.
Next target should be IRANIAN PRESIDENT ACHMEDINEJAD.
Truth is I don’t think Olmert has what it takes to authorize an assassination … This is more likelt the result of some shoddy safety protocals which Iran is using to blame who else but the Israelis
fmlogic123
sounds like your humming the right tune.
Don’t get all excited guys. The guy probably died of nuclear poisoning.
If it is true, you will not know about it! (so)
If you know about it, is not true!
just goes to show u – people will believe anything they read – even on YW!!
U’beavoid Reshoim Rino! Who cares who got rid of him – the fact is that someone whose job it may well have been to harm Yidden living in Eretz Yisroel is now tiff, tiff in der erd.