Tehran, Iran – The sister of an Iranian nuclear physicist who was killed in 2007 says he was murdered not by Israel, as largely believed, but by Iran’s Revolutionary Guard (IRI) for refusing to take part in Iran’s nuclear enrichment program.
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Mahboobeh Hosseinpour, 52, told The Media Line (http://bit.ly/1u8TAy7) via an interview arranged by The New Iran that her brother, scientist Dr. Ardeshir Hosseinpour, was killed by gassing by the IRI.
Hosseinpour said that she learned through her sister-in-law, Sara Araghi, of her brother’s confidential research. She also says she learned of a DVD that she says held research and formulas about building an atomic bomb 12 times more powerful than the one used at Hiroshima.
It was believed that Israel was responsible for the scientist’s death because of Iran’s accusations and because Israel would not confirm or deny the accusation.
Hosseinpour continued to say that her brother was first contacted by the IRI in November 2004. The IRI had a personal message for the scientist from Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, requesting him to work on uranium enrichment capabilities for Iran. They also wanted Ardeshir to teach North Korea and Russian scientists to make the project move faster. Hosseinpour says they also offered her brother a two-star rank in the revolutionary guard and factory ownership if he agreed.
Iranian journalist Dr. Alireza Nourizadeh supports Hosseinpour’s statements. Nourizadeh says one of the reasons for the scientist’s death is that he emailed Nourizadeh, telling him of the research he was working on and that the IRI was aware of the email.
Hosseinpour says her sister-in-law went to her husband’s office after his death and removed the DVD, which had been hidden. The DVD was eventually stolen.
The New Iran is a nonprofit group that works toward “accelerating the downfall of the Islamic regime via non-violent means.” Its chairman, Dr. Iman Foroutan, says Hosseinpour’s claims about her brother’s death could support the suspicions of Western countries regarding the nuclear works of the IRI.
Information taken from The Media Line