Wishful Thinking Or New Front Against Iranian Nuclear Intentions

Was Israeli Mossad agents behind the death of an Iranian nuclear scientist? That's the implication of an article in the Times of London.

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 was seen as Iran's leading nuclear scientist and his death would have the potential of setting back Iran's nuclear intentions by some time as the program requires not only the physical technology but the knowledge and intelligence of scientists who have the capability to put that technology together and work through difficulties.

Eliminating the scientists that are involved in Iran's nuclear program would have the nearly the same effect as destroying the centrifuges themselves.

However, there is no way to know for sure that Israel was behind the death - and it could just as easily be a false-flag style operation to make it appear that Israel has more capabilities to affect Iran's nuclear program than it actually has. It might give Iran pause in its nuclear program if it thinks that Israel has the ability to go after the nuclear scientists, though I believe that it is just as likely that such a belief would redouble Iran's efforts - to increase the pace in research and production to overcome any potential Israeli threats to the Iranian program.

This problem is not going to go away no matter how Hassanpour died. Iran's intentions remain clear. The threat to Israel and the rest of the region remains clear.

What isn't clear is the rest of the world's plan to deal with this other than largely burying its collective head in the sand and hoping it to go away.