Nuclear science professor killed in Tehran

TEHRAN - An Iranian university professor of nuclear science was killed and another professor injured in attacks Monday in Tehran, the city’s police chief said.

Police Chief Hossein Sajadinia confirmed earlier news reports that the bombs were attached to both victims’ cars by assassins on motorcycles, apparently through magnets.

The victims, Majid Shahriari and Fereydoun Abbasi, were professors at Tehran’s Shahid Beheshti university in the field of physics. Shahriari was killed and Abbasi injured.

Iran’s atomic chief, Ali-Akbar Salehi, told IRNA news agency that Shahriari was a nuclear scientist and one his students for many years.

“I promise that we will deliver more Shahriaris to the Iranian nation and such plots will just accelerate the speed of Iran’s nuclear programmes,” Salehi said in a meeting with the injured Abbasi.

Shahriari was killed but his wife survived the incident. Abbasi, also together with his wife, was injured and hospitalised but both have, in the meantime, left the hospital.

The Tehran police chief said that no group has yet claimed responsibility and no arrests have yet been made.

Fars and ISNA news agencies accused agents of the US and Israel of being behind the incident.