Iranian nuclear scientist `assassinated by Mossad’

The Sunday TimesUK
February 04, 2007

Sarah Baxter, Washington

A PRIZE-WINNING Iranian nuclear scientist has died in mysterious
circumstances, according to Radio Farda, which is funded by the US
State Department and broadcasts to Iran.
An intelligence source suggested that Ardeshire Hassanpour, 44, a
nuclear physicist, had been assassinated by Mossad, the Israeli
security service.

Hassanpour worked at a plant in Isfahan where uranium hexafluoride gas
is produced. The gas is needed to enrich uranium in another plant at
Natanz which has become the focus of concerns that Iran may be
developing nuclear weapons.

According to Radio Farda, Iranian reports of Hassanpour’s death emerged
on January 21 after a delay of six days, giving the cause as `gas
poisoning’. The Iranian reports did not say how or where Hassanpour was
poisoned but his death was said to have been announced at a conference
on nuclear safety.

Rheva Bhalla of Stratfor, the US intelligence company, claimed on
Friday that Hassanpour had been targeted by Mossad and that there was
`very strong intelligence’ to suggest that he had been assassinated by
the Israelis, who have repeatedly threatened to prevent Iran acquiring
the bomb.

Hassanpour won Iran’s leading military research prize in 2004 and was
awarded top prize at the Kharazmi international science festival in
Iran last year.

President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad is expected to announce next Sunday ‘ the
28th anniversary of the Islamic revolution ‘ that 3,000 centrifuges
have been installed at Natanz, enabling Iran to move closer to
industrial scale uranium enrichment.

Inspectors from the International Atomic Energy Agency say that
hundreds of technicians and labourers have been `working feverishly’ to
assemble equipment at the plant.