Sanders condemns the assassination of Iranian scientists: disrupting the possibility of dialogue between the new U.S. government and Iran
November 29th – Bernie Sanders, a senior U.S. senator and Democratic presidential primary candidate, said that the assassination of Iranian scientist Fahrizad was “illegal” and aimed at disrupting the possible dialogue between Iran and the incoming U.S. government.
“The assassination of Fahrizad was reckless, provocative and illegal,” Sanders said in a tweet on Saturday (28th). The senior senator of the U.S. Congress added: “The new U.S. government is coming to power, which is obviously undermining the diplomatic relations between the United States and Iran.” Sanders also said that this must not be allowed to happen again, and that “diplomatic dialogue, not murder, is the best way to advance bilateral relations”.
However, Bolton, the former national security adviser of the current U.S. government, defended the assassination on Twitter on the 28th, claiming that Iran’s “threat” of developing nuclear weapons fully justified the “pre-emptive attack”.
Earlier that day, a senior U.S. official told The Washington Post that the United States had nothing to do with the scientist’s killing and believed that Iran had been informed. John Brennan, the former director of the Central Intelligence Agency, earlier described the state-funded assassination of scientists as “criminal” and said that the move could exacerbate the conflict in the Middle East.
On the afternoon of the 27th local time, Fahrizad, an important Iranian nuclear physicist, was assassinated near Tehran. At present, no organization or individual has announced that the attack has been carried out.
Iran’s Supreme Leader Grand Ayatollah Ali Khamenei demanded punishment on the 28th for those who were associated with the killing of Fahrizad. Iranian Foreign Minister Zarif said that there were “significant signs” of the attack on Fahrizad, an Israeli affiliate. Iran calls on the international community, especially the European Union, to end double standards and condemns terrorist acts in this country.
Shortly after Iran’s Supreme Leader issued a warning of reprisals, Israeli embassies around the world raised their alert levels. Israeli media also reported that Jewish communities around the world were also advised to be vigilant.
The United Nations has called on all parties to exercise restraint over the attack on the death of Iranian scientists. “We urge all parties to exercise restraint and avoid any action that could lead to an escalation of tension in the region,” said UN Secretary-General Deputy spokesman Haq in a statement on the 27th.
