Masoud Alimohammadi
Encyclopedia
Masoud Alimohammadi (August 24, 1959 – 12 January 2010) was an Iran
ian quantum field theorist
and elementary-particle physicist and a distinguished professor of elementary particle physics at Department of Physics of University of Tehran
. He was assassinated on the morning of 12 January 2010 (some minutes before 8 o'clock, local time) in front of his home in Tehran
, while leaving for university. His burial is arranged at Emamzādeh Ali-Akbar Chizar in Tehran for Thursday 14 January 2010.
Professor Alimohamadi was the first PhD graduate student in physics of the Sharif University of Technology
. He published some 53 articles and letters in peer-reviewed academic journals and wrote and translated several physics textbooks, including Modern Quantum Mechanics, revised edition, by J. J. Sakurai
, which he translated from English
into Persian
in collaboration with Hamidreza Moshfegh.
in 1978 where he obtained his BSc
in 1985. He subsequently moved to the Sharif University of Technology
in Tehran, to study for his MSc
in Physics. In 1988 he began with his PhD
studies at this University as one of its first PhD students in physics. He obtained his PhD there in 1992.
with interests in such diverse fields as Condensed matter physics
(Quantum Hall effect in curved geometries), cosmology
(modified gravity, dark energy
, etc.) and string theory
. Although field-theoretical methods have wide-ranging applications in many branches of theoretical physics
(and applied mathematics
), quantum field theory
is a subject matter quite distinct from nuclear physics
, nuclear engineering
in general, and nuclear weapons and nuclear power
in particular. Consequently, the reports in some media that Professor Alimohammadi was a nuclear physicist are unequivocally incorrect. Iran's Atomic Energy Agency has in an official statement rejected the governmental media reports that Professor Alimohammadi was associated with Iran's nuclear program.
Professor Alimohammadi was a Council Member of International Centre for Synchrotron-Light for Experimental Science Applications in the Middle East
. He was a professor at Tehran University's Physics faculty. Some sites claimed he was a professor at Imam Hossein University
. but Iranian analyst Muhammad Sahimi writes "He was not affiliated with the IRGC-controlled universities, namely Malek-e Ashtar and Emam Hossein universities."
(reformist member of the 6th Iranian Parliament, professor of physics in Isfahan and Masoud Alimohammadi's close friend) writes "In general his beliefs and actions were close to that of moderate Muslims... During the past couple of years he had ideologically become very close to the reformist movement. In the past few elections before the recent presidency election, he had voted for the reformist candidates and had been campaigning for them too." Shirzad adds that Alimohammadi told him how he and his students took part in 2009 Iranian election protests
, June 16.
The governmental media portrayed him as a "revolutionary and staunch supporter of Islamic Revolution". It has been claimed by Tehran University’s Basij
, or voluntary Islamist student militia, that his name was on a list of sanctioned individuals connected with Iranian nuclear program. but, he was not on a compiled list Mohammadi was among 240 university professors who signed a letter before the 2009 Presidential Election
expressing support for the main opposition candidate, Mir Hussein Moussavi.
On reporting his burial, Al-Jazeera's English web site reported on his lack of political involvement deepening the confusion over what motivation could have been behind the murder. They reported, "one of Ali Mohammadi's close friends (was quoted) as saying that the professor was never a political activist," and that, "... Mohammadi had very deep reformist tendencies but never mixed it up with his professional character." Ali Moghara, who heads the physics faculty at Tehran University, said Ali Mohammadi was just a "world famous" physicist who engaged in "no political activity".
motorbike parked near his car exploded while he was leaving home in Gheytariyeh
neighbourhood of northern Tehran, for university. The windows of residences around the scientist's home were shattered by the force of remote controlled explosion, and it has been reported that two other people had also been injured in the blast.
Initial reports of who has been behind the bombing were disputed. Iranian state media accused Israel
and the US of responsibility, while the US State Department called the allegation "absurd". Ynetnews
noted, that for the major Israeli news outlet, there is no known connection between his participation in the SESAME
, an international synchrotron-radiation
facility located in Jordan, and the assassination.
According to US intelligence sources Israel is running a secret war against Iran, among techniques used are the killing of important persons in the Iranian atomic energy program.
Another source found the assassination of "a 50-year-old researcher with no prominent political voice, no published work with military relevance and no declared links to Iran's nuclear program", as puzzling, although there were comparisons with the disappearance of Shahram Amiri
in 2009 and the death of Ardeshir Hosseinpour
in 2007.
Iran's English-language Press TV
reported that a U.S. based pro-monarchist group, the Kingdom Assembly of Iran
(called the Iran Royal Association by PressTV) has claimed responsibility for the bombing a claim which other sources say the Association has denied having made.
On 25th Jan 2010, Iran summoned the Swiss ambassador to Iran, who is representing the interests of United States in Iran, demanding the extradition of individuals associated with U.S. based Tondar
group, whom Iran believes are behind the bombing.
Iran's Press TV
quoted the ministry spokesman Ramin Mehman-Parast, "Primary investigations into the assassination revealed signs of the involvement of the Zionist regime of Israel
, the US and their allies in Iran". In the same article a professor at Tehran University is quoted as having said, "It is widely believed among colleagues that he was assassinated by terrorist organizations probably supported by the United States and with connections with the Americans and the Israelis under different names".
On January 13, 2010 Parliament Speaker Ali Larijani said, "We had received information a few days before the incident that intelligence services of the Zionist regime of Israel
intend to carry out terrorist acts in Tehran in cooperation with the CIA".
In January 2011, Iranian television broadcast a confession by Majid Jamali Fashi to murdering Mohammadi on behalf of Mossad
. In August 2011, he was convicted and sentenced to death.
, The Iran Royal Association, an "obscure" group seeking the restoration of the monarchy, claimed that its "Tondar Commandos" are behind the assassination. The BBC
's Tehran correspondent Jon Leyne reported: "Iranian media were unusually quick off the mark to report the killing, to show television pictures, and to give the sort of details that usually only emerge after hours, days, or weeks in this secretive state".
A former senior official expressed doubt about the official account of Alimohammadi's assassination, and expressed concern that the assassination could be used as an excuse for violence against opposition protesters: “This is an old trick,” he said. “They did it themselves but blame it on opposition groups so that they can easily begin issuing death sentences for protesters. I think this means there could be more violence against the opposition.” (See False Flag
)
Opposition groups who monitor Hezbollah, the militant Lebanese movement, in Tehran, claim that a member of Hezbollah, known by his pseudonym “Abu Nasser”, was photographed at the scene of the explosion in Tehran’s affluent Gheytarih suburb.
According to Iranian-Israeli analyst Meir Javedanfar, It is "possible that Mohammadi was assassinated by a foreign intelligence agency" with the aim of stopping the Iranian nuclear program and also causing embarrassment for the government of Ahmadinejad. Flynt Leverett, director of New America Foundation
, said that while it is "highly unlikely that the United States was directly involved" in the assassination, it is "possible that a group or an individual" who has received financial support as part of the $400 million dollar US covert activities program initiated under Bush administration against Iran, might have carried out the assassination.
However, Iranian analyst Muhammad Sahimi thinks it unlikely that the murder was directed against Iran's nuclear progam as it is engineers, not nuclear physicists, who are "leading" that program, and in any case Alimohammadi's research was in the general area of particle physics, "which is of a fundamental, rather than practical nature". Ali-Mohammadi was also not under contract with Atomic Energy Organization of Iran
, according to its spokesman Ali Shirzadian, nor was he affiliated with the universities under the control of the Revolutionary Guard (Malek-Ashtar University of Technology
and Imam Hossein University
). On the other hand "a source in Tehran" told Sahimi that Alimohammadi had worked with the Islamic Revolution Guards "on several projects in the past," and this knowledge combined with the Guard's penchant for exacting vengeance against "anyone who deserts them and joins the opposition" adds to "the suspicion that the hardliners may have had something to do with" his murder.
Aljazeera reported that authorities on condition of anonymity have confirmed his involvement with Iranian nuclear program. The Economist
also quoted anonymous Western sources describing him as "one of the most important people involved in the [nuclear] programme". It has also been reported that he was a professor at Tehran University's Physics faculty as well as a professor at the IRGC run, Imam Hossein University
which houses a physics research center apparently under control of IRGC. There has also been reports of a decapitation program as part of a covert war against Iran, with the aim of assassinating people that are or have been involved with Iranian nuclear program, much like a similar successful program conducted in Iraq, resulting in assassination of hundreds of Iraqi scientists. There are also reports of Israel
's involvement in these covert actions, while other reports suggest the creation of a joint assassination team put together by western democracies to neutralize Iranian scientists and engineers.
Iran
Iran , officially the Islamic Republic of Iran , is a country in Southern and Western Asia. The name "Iran" has been in use natively since the Sassanian era and came into use internationally in 1935, before which the country was known to the Western world as Persia...
ian quantum field theorist
Quantum field theory
Quantum field theory provides a theoretical framework for constructing quantum mechanical models of systems classically parametrized by an infinite number of dynamical degrees of freedom, that is, fields and many-body systems. It is the natural and quantitative language of particle physics and...
and elementary-particle physicist and a distinguished professor of elementary particle physics at Department of Physics of University of Tehran
University of Tehran
The University of Tehran , also known as Tehran University and UT, is Iran's oldest university. Located in Tehran, the university is among the most prestigious in the country, and is consistently selected as the first choice of many applicants in the annual nationwide entrance exam for top Iranian...
. He was assassinated on the morning of 12 January 2010 (some minutes before 8 o'clock, local time) in front of his home in Tehran
Tehran
Tehran , sometimes spelled Teheran, is the capital of Iran and Tehran Province. With an estimated population of 8,429,807; it is also Iran's largest urban area and city, one of the largest cities in Western Asia, and is the world's 19th largest city.In the 20th century, Tehran was subject to...
, while leaving for university. His burial is arranged at Emamzādeh Ali-Akbar Chizar in Tehran for Thursday 14 January 2010.
Professor Alimohamadi was the first PhD graduate student in physics of the Sharif University of Technology
Sharif University of Technology
Sharif University of Technology is a university of higher education in technology, engineering and physical sciences in Tehran. Sharif University of Technology is one of the most prestigious universities in the country, and is considered Iran's MIT...
. He published some 53 articles and letters in peer-reviewed academic journals and wrote and translated several physics textbooks, including Modern Quantum Mechanics, revised edition, by J. J. Sakurai
J. J. Sakurai
was a Japanese-American particle physicist and theorist. He authored the popular graduate text Modern Quantum Mechanics and other texts such as Invariance Principles and Elementary Particles and Advanced Quantum Mechanics ....
, which he translated from English
English language
English is a West Germanic language that arose in the Anglo-Saxon kingdoms of England and spread into what was to become south-east Scotland under the influence of the Anglian medieval kingdom of Northumbria...
into Persian
Persian language
Persian is an Iranian language within the Indo-Iranian branch of the Indo-European languages. It is primarily spoken in Iran, Afghanistan, Tajikistan and countries which historically came under Persian influence...
in collaboration with Hamidreza Moshfegh.
Education
He entered Shiraz UniversityShiraz University
Shiraz University , formerly known as Pahlavi University, is a public university located in Shiraz, Iran. It is one of the major universities of Iran....
in 1978 where he obtained his BSc
BSC
BSC is a three-letter abbreviation that may refer to:Science and technology* Bachelor of Science , an undergraduate degree* Base Station Controller, part of a mobile phone network; see: Base Station subsystem...
in 1985. He subsequently moved to the Sharif University of Technology
Sharif University of Technology
Sharif University of Technology is a university of higher education in technology, engineering and physical sciences in Tehran. Sharif University of Technology is one of the most prestigious universities in the country, and is considered Iran's MIT...
in Tehran, to study for his MSc
MSC
- Computers:* Mario Strikers Charged* Microsoft Common Console Document, file for the Microsoft Management Console* Microelectronics Support Centre* Microsoft Corporation* MIDI Show Control* Message Sequence Chart...
in Physics. In 1988 he began with his PhD
PHD
PHD may refer to:*Ph.D., a doctorate of philosophy*Ph.D. , a 1980s British group*PHD finger, a protein sequence*PHD Mountain Software, an outdoor clothing and equipment company*PhD Docbook renderer, an XML renderer...
studies at this University as one of its first PhD students in physics. He obtained his PhD there in 1992.
Research and achievements
He was a quantum field theoristQuantum field theory
Quantum field theory provides a theoretical framework for constructing quantum mechanical models of systems classically parametrized by an infinite number of dynamical degrees of freedom, that is, fields and many-body systems. It is the natural and quantitative language of particle physics and...
with interests in such diverse fields as Condensed matter physics
Condensed matter physics
Condensed matter physics deals with the physical properties of condensed phases of matter. These properties appear when a number of atoms at the supramolecular and macromolecular scale interact strongly and adhere to each other or are otherwise highly concentrated in a system. The most familiar...
(Quantum Hall effect in curved geometries), cosmology
Cosmology
Cosmology is the discipline that deals with the nature of the Universe as a whole. Cosmologists seek to understand the origin, evolution, structure, and ultimate fate of the Universe at large, as well as the natural laws that keep it in order...
(modified gravity, dark energy
Dark energy
In physical cosmology, astronomy and celestial mechanics, dark energy is a hypothetical form of energy that permeates all of space and tends to accelerate the expansion of the universe. Dark energy is the most accepted theory to explain recent observations that the universe appears to be expanding...
, etc.) and string theory
String theory
String theory is an active research framework in particle physics that attempts to reconcile quantum mechanics and general relativity. It is a contender for a theory of everything , a manner of describing the known fundamental forces and matter in a mathematically complete system...
. Although field-theoretical methods have wide-ranging applications in many branches of theoretical physics
Theoretical physics
Theoretical physics is a branch of physics which employs mathematical models and abstractions of physics to rationalize, explain and predict natural phenomena...
(and applied mathematics
Applied mathematics
Applied mathematics is a branch of mathematics that concerns itself with mathematical methods that are typically used in science, engineering, business, and industry. Thus, "applied mathematics" is a mathematical science with specialized knowledge...
), quantum field theory
Quantum field theory
Quantum field theory provides a theoretical framework for constructing quantum mechanical models of systems classically parametrized by an infinite number of dynamical degrees of freedom, that is, fields and many-body systems. It is the natural and quantitative language of particle physics and...
is a subject matter quite distinct from nuclear physics
Nuclear physics
Nuclear physics is the field of physics that studies the building blocks and interactions of atomic nuclei. The most commonly known applications of nuclear physics are nuclear power generation and nuclear weapons technology, but the research has provided application in many fields, including those...
, nuclear engineering
Nuclear engineering
Nuclear engineering is the branch of engineering concerned with the application of the breakdown as well as the fusion of atomic nuclei and/or the application of other sub-atomic physics, based on the principles of nuclear physics...
in general, and nuclear weapons and nuclear power
Nuclear power
Nuclear power is the use of sustained nuclear fission to generate heat and electricity. Nuclear power plants provide about 6% of the world's energy and 13–14% of the world's electricity, with the U.S., France, and Japan together accounting for about 50% of nuclear generated electricity...
in particular. Consequently, the reports in some media that Professor Alimohammadi was a nuclear physicist are unequivocally incorrect. Iran's Atomic Energy Agency has in an official statement rejected the governmental media reports that Professor Alimohammadi was associated with Iran's nuclear program.
Professor Alimohammadi was a Council Member of International Centre for Synchrotron-Light for Experimental Science Applications in the Middle East
International Centre for Synchrotron-Light for Experimental Science Applications in the Middle East
The International Centre for Synchrotron-Light for Experimental Science and Applications in the Middle East is an independent laboratory formally created under the auspices of UNESCO on 30 May 2002...
. He was a professor at Tehran University's Physics faculty. Some sites claimed he was a professor at Imam Hossein University
Imam Hossein University
The Imam Hossein University is a public university of engineering, science, and military in Iran.The university was opened in1986. The university is one of the top ranking industrial universities in Iran. It is located in Tehran, Shahid Babaei Highway near Tehran Pars Fourth Square, and Hakimiyeh...
. but Iranian analyst Muhammad Sahimi writes "He was not affiliated with the IRGC-controlled universities, namely Malek-e Ashtar and Emam Hossein universities."
Political views
Dr Ahmad ShirzadAhmad Shirzad
Ahmad Shirzad was a member of 6th Iran Parliament .He teaches physics in Isfahan University of Technology....
(reformist member of the 6th Iranian Parliament, professor of physics in Isfahan and Masoud Alimohammadi's close friend) writes "In general his beliefs and actions were close to that of moderate Muslims... During the past couple of years he had ideologically become very close to the reformist movement. In the past few elections before the recent presidency election, he had voted for the reformist candidates and had been campaigning for them too." Shirzad adds that Alimohammadi told him how he and his students took part in 2009 Iranian election protests
2009 Iranian election protests
Protests following the 2009 Iranian presidential election against the disputed victory of Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad and in support of opposition candidates Mir-Hossein Mousavi and Mehdi Karroubi occurred in major cities in Iran and around the world starting June 13, 2009...
, June 16.
The governmental media portrayed him as a "revolutionary and staunch supporter of Islamic Revolution". It has been claimed by Tehran University’s Basij
Basij
The Basij is a paramilitary volunteer militia established in 1979 by order of the Islamic Revolution's leader Ayatollah Khomeini. The force consists of young Iranians who have volunteered, often in exchange for official benefits...
, or voluntary Islamist student militia, that his name was on a list of sanctioned individuals connected with Iranian nuclear program. but, he was not on a compiled list Mohammadi was among 240 university professors who signed a letter before the 2009 Presidential Election
Iranian presidential election, 2009
Iran's tenth presidential election was held on 12 June 2009, with incumbent Mahmoud Ahmadinejad running against three challengers. The next morning the Islamic Republic News Agency, Iran's official news agency, announced that with two-thirds of the votes counted, Ahmadinejad had won the election...
expressing support for the main opposition candidate, Mir Hussein Moussavi.
On reporting his burial, Al-Jazeera's English web site reported on his lack of political involvement deepening the confusion over what motivation could have been behind the murder. They reported, "one of Ali Mohammadi's close friends (was quoted) as saying that the professor was never a political activist," and that, "... Mohammadi had very deep reformist tendencies but never mixed it up with his professional character." Ali Moghara, who heads the physics faculty at Tehran University, said Ali Mohammadi was just a "world famous" physicist who engaged in "no political activity".
Personal life
He was married to Mansoureh Karami (منصوره كرمی).Assassination
At 07:58 am, a booby-trappedBooby trap
A booby trap is a device designed to harm or surprise a person, unknowingly triggered by the presence or actions of the victim. As the word trap implies, they often have some form of bait designed to lure the victim towards it. However, in other cases the device is placed on busy roads or is...
motorbike parked near his car exploded while he was leaving home in Gheytariyeh
Gheytarieh
Gheytarieh is a district, in northeastern Tehran's city limits, within the larger Shemiran district. Gheytarieh has about 150,000 residents....
neighbourhood of northern Tehran, for university. The windows of residences around the scientist's home were shattered by the force of remote controlled explosion, and it has been reported that two other people had also been injured in the blast.
Initial reports of who has been behind the bombing were disputed. Iranian state media accused Israel
Israel
The State of Israel is a parliamentary republic located in the Middle East, along the eastern shore of the Mediterranean Sea...
and the US of responsibility, while the US State Department called the allegation "absurd". Ynetnews
Ynetnews
Ynetnews is the online English language Israeli news website of Yedioth Ahronoth, Israel’s most-read newspaper, and the Hebrew Israel news portal, Ynet...
noted, that for the major Israeli news outlet, there is no known connection between his participation in the SESAME
International Centre for Synchrotron-Light for Experimental Science Applications in the Middle East
The International Centre for Synchrotron-Light for Experimental Science and Applications in the Middle East is an independent laboratory formally created under the auspices of UNESCO on 30 May 2002...
, an international synchrotron-radiation
Synchrotron radiation
The electromagnetic radiation emitted when charged particles are accelerated radially is called synchrotron radiation. It is produced in synchrotrons using bending magnets, undulators and/or wigglers...
facility located in Jordan, and the assassination.
According to US intelligence sources Israel is running a secret war against Iran, among techniques used are the killing of important persons in the Iranian atomic energy program.
Another source found the assassination of "a 50-year-old researcher with no prominent political voice, no published work with military relevance and no declared links to Iran's nuclear program", as puzzling, although there were comparisons with the disappearance of Shahram Amiri
Shahram Amiri
Shahram Amiri is an Iranian nuclear scientist who disappeared from Iran for a little over a year under disputed circumstances. In the spring of 2009, he disappeared while apparently on pilgrimage to Mecca, Saudi Arabia. About a year later two videos appeared, each purporting to be declarations by...
in 2009 and the death of Ardeshir Hosseinpour
Ardeshir Hosseinpour
Dr. Ardeshir Hosseinpour was an Iranian junior scientist, assistant professor, and authority on electromagnetism. He was also involved in the Iranian nuclear program. Hosseinpour died mysteriously in early 2007 during his nuclear work at Isfahan.-Career:...
in 2007.
Iran's English-language Press TV
Press TV
Press TV is a 24-hour English language global news network owned by the Iranian government. Its headquarters are located in Tehran, Iran, with bureaux in Beirut , Damascus , London , Seoul and Washington DC ....
reported that a U.S. based pro-monarchist group, the Kingdom Assembly of Iran
Kingdom Assembly of Iran
Kingdom Assembly of Iran is a militant Iranian royalist group which seeks to overthrow the Islamic Republic and restore the ousted Iranian monarchy...
(called the Iran Royal Association by PressTV) has claimed responsibility for the bombing a claim which other sources say the Association has denied having made.
On 25th Jan 2010, Iran summoned the Swiss ambassador to Iran, who is representing the interests of United States in Iran, demanding the extradition of individuals associated with U.S. based Tondar
Tondar
Tondar is an organization of Iranian expatriates based in Los Angeles. In 2010, Iran accused the organization of planning terror attacks within its territory...
group, whom Iran believes are behind the bombing.
Funeral
On January 14, Alimohammadi was buried. Timesonline described it as "Supporters of Iran’s regime hijacked the funeral" As his body was carried from his home in northern Tehran hundreds of government loyalists surrounded it and were shown on Iranian television waving Iranian flags and chanting anti-American and anti-Israeli slogans.State investigation
The Iranian government has initiated an investigation and termed the blast a "terror attack with the aim of stalling Iranian scientific progress".Iran's Press TV
Press TV
Press TV is a 24-hour English language global news network owned by the Iranian government. Its headquarters are located in Tehran, Iran, with bureaux in Beirut , Damascus , London , Seoul and Washington DC ....
quoted the ministry spokesman Ramin Mehman-Parast, "Primary investigations into the assassination revealed signs of the involvement of the Zionist regime of Israel
Israel
The State of Israel is a parliamentary republic located in the Middle East, along the eastern shore of the Mediterranean Sea...
, the US and their allies in Iran". In the same article a professor at Tehran University is quoted as having said, "It is widely believed among colleagues that he was assassinated by terrorist organizations probably supported by the United States and with connections with the Americans and the Israelis under different names".
On January 13, 2010 Parliament Speaker Ali Larijani said, "We had received information a few days before the incident that intelligence services of the Zionist regime of Israel
Israel
The State of Israel is a parliamentary republic located in the Middle East, along the eastern shore of the Mediterranean Sea...
intend to carry out terrorist acts in Tehran in cooperation with the CIA".
In January 2011, Iranian television broadcast a confession by Majid Jamali Fashi to murdering Mohammadi on behalf of Mossad
Mossad
The Mossad , short for HaMossad leModi'in uleTafkidim Meyuchadim , is the national intelligence agency of Israel....
. In August 2011, he was convicted and sentenced to death.
Media speculation
According to the state-owned television network Press TVPress TV
Press TV is a 24-hour English language global news network owned by the Iranian government. Its headquarters are located in Tehran, Iran, with bureaux in Beirut , Damascus , London , Seoul and Washington DC ....
, The Iran Royal Association, an "obscure" group seeking the restoration of the monarchy, claimed that its "Tondar Commandos" are behind the assassination. The BBC
BBC
The British Broadcasting Corporation is a British public service broadcaster. Its headquarters is at Broadcasting House in the City of Westminster, London. It is the largest broadcaster in the world, with about 23,000 staff...
's Tehran correspondent Jon Leyne reported: "Iranian media were unusually quick off the mark to report the killing, to show television pictures, and to give the sort of details that usually only emerge after hours, days, or weeks in this secretive state".
A former senior official expressed doubt about the official account of Alimohammadi's assassination, and expressed concern that the assassination could be used as an excuse for violence against opposition protesters: “This is an old trick,” he said. “They did it themselves but blame it on opposition groups so that they can easily begin issuing death sentences for protesters. I think this means there could be more violence against the opposition.” (See False Flag
False flag
False flag operations are covert operations designed to deceive the public in such a way that the operations appear as though they are being carried out by other entities. The name is derived from the military concept of flying false colors; that is flying the flag of a country other than one's own...
)
Opposition groups who monitor Hezbollah, the militant Lebanese movement, in Tehran, claim that a member of Hezbollah, known by his pseudonym “Abu Nasser”, was photographed at the scene of the explosion in Tehran’s affluent Gheytarih suburb.
According to Iranian-Israeli analyst Meir Javedanfar, It is "possible that Mohammadi was assassinated by a foreign intelligence agency" with the aim of stopping the Iranian nuclear program and also causing embarrassment for the government of Ahmadinejad. Flynt Leverett, director of New America Foundation
New America Foundation
The New America Foundation is a non-profit public policy institute and think tank with offices in Washington, D.C. and Sacramento, CA. It was founded in 1999 by Ted Halstead, Sherle Schwenninger, Michael Lind and Walter Russell Mead....
, said that while it is "highly unlikely that the United States was directly involved" in the assassination, it is "possible that a group or an individual" who has received financial support as part of the $400 million dollar US covert activities program initiated under Bush administration against Iran, might have carried out the assassination.
However, Iranian analyst Muhammad Sahimi thinks it unlikely that the murder was directed against Iran's nuclear progam as it is engineers, not nuclear physicists, who are "leading" that program, and in any case Alimohammadi's research was in the general area of particle physics, "which is of a fundamental, rather than practical nature". Ali-Mohammadi was also not under contract with Atomic Energy Organization of Iran
Atomic Energy Organization of Iran
The Atomic Energy Organization of Iran is the main official body responsible for implementing regulations and operating nuclear energy installations in Iran....
, according to its spokesman Ali Shirzadian, nor was he affiliated with the universities under the control of the Revolutionary Guard (Malek-Ashtar University of Technology
Malek-Ashtar University of Technology
The Malek-Ashtar University of Technology is a public university of engineering, science, and military in Iran.This university was opened in1986. Its campuses are located in Tehran and Isfahan. The university is named after Malik al-Ashtar,...
and Imam Hossein University
Imam Hossein University
The Imam Hossein University is a public university of engineering, science, and military in Iran.The university was opened in1986. The university is one of the top ranking industrial universities in Iran. It is located in Tehran, Shahid Babaei Highway near Tehran Pars Fourth Square, and Hakimiyeh...
). On the other hand "a source in Tehran" told Sahimi that Alimohammadi had worked with the Islamic Revolution Guards "on several projects in the past," and this knowledge combined with the Guard's penchant for exacting vengeance against "anyone who deserts them and joins the opposition" adds to "the suspicion that the hardliners may have had something to do with" his murder.
Aljazeera reported that authorities on condition of anonymity have confirmed his involvement with Iranian nuclear program. The Economist
The Economist
The Economist is an English-language weekly news and international affairs publication owned by The Economist Newspaper Ltd. and edited in offices in the City of Westminster, London, England. Continuous publication began under founder James Wilson in September 1843...
also quoted anonymous Western sources describing him as "one of the most important people involved in the [nuclear] programme". It has also been reported that he was a professor at Tehran University's Physics faculty as well as a professor at the IRGC run, Imam Hossein University
Imam Hossein University
The Imam Hossein University is a public university of engineering, science, and military in Iran.The university was opened in1986. The university is one of the top ranking industrial universities in Iran. It is located in Tehran, Shahid Babaei Highway near Tehran Pars Fourth Square, and Hakimiyeh...
which houses a physics research center apparently under control of IRGC. There has also been reports of a decapitation program as part of a covert war against Iran, with the aim of assassinating people that are or have been involved with Iranian nuclear program, much like a similar successful program conducted in Iraq, resulting in assassination of hundreds of Iraqi scientists. There are also reports of Israel
Israel
The State of Israel is a parliamentary republic located in the Middle East, along the eastern shore of the Mediterranean Sea...
's involvement in these covert actions, while other reports suggest the creation of a joint assassination team put together by western democracies to neutralize Iranian scientists and engineers.
See also
- Ardeshir HosseinpourArdeshir HosseinpourDr. Ardeshir Hosseinpour was an Iranian junior scientist, assistant professor, and authority on electromagnetism. He was also involved in the Iranian nuclear program. Hosseinpour died mysteriously in early 2007 during his nuclear work at Isfahan.-Career:...
- Shahram AmiriShahram AmiriShahram Amiri is an Iranian nuclear scientist who disappeared from Iran for a little over a year under disputed circumstances. In the spring of 2009, he disappeared while apparently on pilgrimage to Mecca, Saudi Arabia. About a year later two videos appeared, each purporting to be declarations by...
- Ali-Reza AsgariAli-Reza AsgariBrigadier General Ali-Reza Asgari was an Iranian general of the Islamic Revolutionary Guards Corps, deputy defense minister, and cabinet member of Iranian President Mohammad Khatami....
- Timothy HamptonTimothy HamptonTimothy Hampton was a specialist in weapons of mass destruction and an employee of the preparatory commission for the Comprehensive Nuclear-Test-Ban Treaty Organization in Vienna, Austria since 1998.-Death:...
- Majid ShahriariMajid ShahriariMajid Shahriari was a nuclear engineer who worked with the Iranian Atomic Energy Commission.He specialized in neutron transport, a phenomenon that lies at the heart of nuclear chain reactions in reactors and bombs. According to The Guardian, he "had no known links to banned nuclear work"...
- Fereydoon AbbasiFereydoon AbbasiFereydoon Abbasi-Davani is an Iranian nuclear scientist and current Vice President and Head of Atomic Energy Organization.-Academic and Early Career:...
- Daryoush Rezaei
External links
- Israel's secret war to kill Iranian scientists
- List of murdered scientists
- Web page at University of Tehran
- List of publications
- His biography by Ahmad Shirzad, in Persian
- Audio recording of an open-discussion seminar led by Professor Alimohammadi, held on 6 January 2010 at Department of Physics of University of Tehran (in Persian): Part 1, Part 2, Part 3, Part 4, Part 5, Part 6, Part 7 (YouTube). ♦ This recording covers the first approximately 66 minutes of this seminar. ♦ The minutes of this meeting have now been published, in Persian, in the bolg Dāneshjoujān-e Ostād Masoud Alimohammadi (Students of Professor Masoud Alimohammadi), dated Wednesday, January 13, 2010.
- Is Iran losing the intelligence war?, guardian.co.ukGuardian.co.ukguardian.co.uk, formerly known as Guardian Unlimited, is a British website owned by the Guardian Media Group. Georgina Henry is the editor...
- Telegraph article on covert Israeli war against Iran
- Targeting scientists to delay Tehran’s nuclear program
- Covert Action and Iran’s Nuclear Program, by The Stanford Review
- Chronology of dead scientists