Iran expressed deepening fury at Israel and the United States on Thursday over the drive-by bombing that killed a nuclear scientist in Tehran the day before and signaled that its Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps may carry out revenge assassinations.
News of the scientist?s killing dominated Iran?s state-run media, which were filled with vitriolic denunciations both of Israel, seen in Iran as the main suspect in the killing, and the United States, where top officials have gone out of their way to issue strongly worded denials of responsibility.
Israeli officials, who regard Iran as Israel?s main enemy, have not categorically denied any Israeli role in the killing of the scientist, which came against a backdrop of growing pressure on Iran over its disputed nuclear program. Western nations suspect that Iran is working toward building a nuclear weapon, despite Iran?s repeated claims that its program is peaceful.
Iran?s official government reaction to the scientist?s killing on Wednesday was more restrained, saying that Iran would not be dissuaded from its right to peaceful nuclear energy and demanding that the Security Council investigate and condemn the attack. The Iranian ambassador to the United Nations, Mohammad Khazaee, said in a letter to Secretary General Ban Ki-moon that the killing was part of a campaign of terrorist acts against Iran committed by ?certain foreign quarters,? an oblique reference to Israel and the United States.
A much stronger call for retribution came Thursday from one Iranian newspaper in particular, Kayhan, a mouthpiece for the country?s supreme leader, Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, and for the Revolutionary Guard Corps.
?We should retaliate against Israel for martyring of our young scientist,? Kayhan?s editor-in-chief, Hossein Shariatmadari, who was appointed by the ayatollah, said in an editorial. Referring to the Israelis, he wrote: ?These corrupted people are easily identifiable and readily within our reach.?
The Kayhan editorial, as translated by Agence-France Presse and other Western news services, also said: ?The Islamic Republic has gathered much experience in 32 years, thus assassinations of Israeli officials and military members are achievable.?
Another hardline daily, Resalat, said, ?The only way to finish with the enemy?s futile actions is retaliation for the assassination of Iran?s scientist.?
The scientist, Mostafa Ahmadi Roshan, 32, was deputy director of the Natanz uranium enrichment facility. He was killed on his way to work in rush-hour traffic in Tehran Wednesday morning. Iranian news accounts said that a motorcyclist slapped a magnetized bomb on his car and it blew up, killing Mr. Roshan and mortally wounding his driver-bodyguard, identified as Reza Qashaqei.
Mr. Roshan was at least the fifth Iranian scientist with nuclear connections to be killed since 2007.
Kayhan?s account of Mr. Roshan?s death quoted his mother, Sediqeh Salari, as saying: ?They assassinated my son to remind us how much they hate our guts, to show their hostility. These are Iran?s sworn enemies.?
The scientists? deaths are part of what current and former American officials and specialists on Iran have called an accelerating covert campaign of assassinations, bombings, defections and digital attacks meant to subvert Iran?s nuclear program, which they believe has been carried out mainly by Israel.
Source: http://feeds.nytimes.com/click.phdo?i=7474de578ddda20bfaccfe3cc41627ab
weird world news 2011 western world newspaper coos bay world news world news 2011 world news 2011 japan
No comments:
Post a Comment