Latest news with #MohammadMehdiTehranchi
International Business Times
6 hours 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
9 hours ago
- 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
a day ago
- 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".
Gulf Today
2 days ago
- Politics
- Gulf Today
Six nuclear scientists killed in Israel attack on Iran: media
At least six nuclear scientists were killed Friday in Israel's attacks on Iran, media outlets in the Islamic republic reported. Tasnim news agency named the six scientists including Mohammad Mehdi Tehranchi, who was the president of the Islamic Azad University of Iran. Fereydoun Abbasi, a former head of the Atomic Energy Organization of Iran, was also among the scientists killed, it added. Friday's strikes hit multiple targets across Iran including residential buildings in Tehran as well as key nuclear enrichment facility in Iran's centre. Iran's Revolutionary Guards chief Hossein Salami and armed forces chief of staff Mohammad Bagheri were killed in the Israeli operation. Agence France-Presse
The Hindu
2 days ago
- Politics
- The Hindu
Six nuclear scientists killed in Israel attack on Iran: media
At least six nuclear scientists were killed Friday (June 13, 2025) in Israel's attacks on Iran, media outlets in the Islamic Republic reported. Tasnim news agency named the six scientists including Mohammad Mehdi Tehranchi, who was the president of the Islamic Azad University of Iran. Also Read | Israel strikes Iran LIVE: Updates from June 13, 2025 Fereydoun Abbasi, a former head of the Atomic Energy Organisation of Iran, was also among the scientists killed, it added. Friday's (June 13, 2025) strikes hit multiple targets across Iran, including residential buildings in Tehran as well as a key nuclear enrichment facility in Iran's centre. Iran's Revolutionary Guards chief Hossein Salami and armed forces chief of staff Mohammad Bagheri were killed in the Israeli operation.
