2 days ago
Who was Mohammad Reza Seddiqi Saber, Iran's top nuclear scientist killed in Israel strike?
Iran reportedly lost as many as 14 senior nuclear scientists in the strikes launched by Israel as the war in the Middle East finally reached a fragile ceasefire agreement. Among them was Mohammad Reza Seddiqi Saber, head of a unit engaged in nuclear projects, who was killed in an overnight Israeli strike in northern Iran, according to a BBC report citing Iranian officials and state TV.
Saber was killed at his parents' home in Astaneh-ye Ashrafiyeh, located in Gilan province. The deputy governor of Gilan said that four apartments were reduced to rubble by an explosion in a residential building.
The 51-year-old was the head of the Shahid Karimi Group under Iran's Organisation of Defensive Innovation and Research (known by its Persian acronym, SPND), a unit working on explosives-related projects, according to the US State Department. He was associated with activities related to the research and testing of technologies applicable to nuclear explosive devices.
Saber had been added to the Office of Foreign Assets Control's Specially Designated Nationals list and was subject to secondary sanctions as well.
Last month, the US had imposed sanctions on Saber, saying that he was 'linked to projects including research and testing applicable to the development of nuclear explosive devices.'
Saber's 17-year-old son was also killed in an earlier round of strikes on June 13, AP reported.
With scores killed and hundreds injured, the war has heightened fears of further escalation, after the US carried out strikes targeting three of Iran's key nuclear sites — Natanz, Isfahan, and Fordow — two days ago. In retaliation, Iran targeted the US-run Al Udeid Air Base in Doha, Qatar.
The Israel-Iran war, the biggest military confrontation ever between the Middle East arch-foes, continued into its 12th day on Tuesday, with both nations launching missile strikes against each other despite a ceasefire agreement brokered by US President Donald Trump.
