Report: Iranian Nuclear Scientist 'Assassinated'

[David Farber <dave () farber net>]

Begin forwarded message:

From: Barry Ritholtz <ritholtz () optonline net>
Date: February 5, 2007 6:13:05 AM EST
To: David Farber <dave () farber net>
Subject: Report: Iranian Nuclear Scientist 'Assassinated'

Hey Dave,

The original source for this appears to be the Times of London . . .

Some believe the US is marching towards war with Iran over their  
nuclear program;
(if this report is correct) Israel is apparently likely to take  
matters into its own hands.




Report: Iranian Nuclear Scientist 'Assassinated'
Sunday, February 04, 2007

http://www.foxnews.com/story/0,2933,250196,00.html


WASHINGTON —  A prize-winning Iranian nuclear scientist has died in  
mysterious circumstances, according to Radio Farda, which is funded  
by the U.S. 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 Jan. 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 U.S. 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 laborers have been “working feverishly”  
to assemble equipment at the plant.






Barry L. Ritholtz,
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