BEIRUT, LEBANON (11:40 P.M.) – The Supreme Leader of the Islamic Republic of Iran, Ali Khamenei, awarded nuclear scientist Mohsen Fakhrizadeh, who was assassinated in late November near Tehran, a high-level military medal, Iranian state television reported on Sunday.
The scientist’s widow received from the Chief of Staff of the Iranian Armed Forces, Major General Muhammad Bagheri, the Nasr Medal of the first degree and a certificate signed by Khamenei, state TV said.
Major General Bagheri was quoted as saying: “It is a medal in honor of our loved ones who defended the Islamic Revolution as well as the territorial integrity and independence of Iran,” adding that it is the highest award given to people who have performed logistical and material support services for the armed forces.
Fakhrizadeh was one of Iran’s leading nuclear scientists that was associated with the development of the country’s research, especially in new energy fields. The nuclear scientist was targeted on November 27 near Tehran in an attack on his convoy.
The Islamic Republic accused Israel of ordering the assassination, which, according to Tehran, was carried out with a machine gun that was controlled via satellite and the Internet. Israel has not issued any response to these accusations.
In 2018, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu presented Fakhrizadeh as the director of the secret military nuclear program whose existence Iran has long denied.
