After the escape of General Askari, competition between special services of Iran and Israel was progressing.
In May 2008 a powerful explosion was committed at the space plant in Arak, which was situated near the nuclear facility, and the nuclear facility was damaged more than the space plant. The Iranian secret services reacted at the explosion by arrest of three Iranian citizens, who, according to it, illegally imported electronic equipment with Israeli spying devices to Iran, and prepared for sabotage at nuclear facilities. That’s how the case of Ali Ashtari was started.
In November 2008 the trial sent 43-year Ashtari to death through hanging. After the execution official Tehran soon announced about “smashing a Zionist spying net,” but it was too early.
In December 2008 an explosion thundered in the defense plant in Isfahan, where facilities for turning uranium into gas state were situated.
At that moment the international media began reporting that this and other emergency situations in nuclear facilities of Iran were not accidental. Publications said that Mossad masterminded all of them, as it was managed to contact with companies importing equipment to Iran and to bribe them for organizing sabotages. According to Time Magazine, Mossad masterminded interception of the ship “Arctic C,” which moved from Finland to Algeria under the flag of Malta with the Russian crew aboard. On July 24th, 2009, eight armed people captured “Arctic C” and forced its captain to change the course. A month later it appeared that this brilliant operation was conducted by the Russian commandos, but the information that “Arctic C” was carrying a cargo for the Iranian nuclear power was provided by Mossad.
In autumn 2009 another important even took place: the international mass media published articles devoted to the head of the Iranian nuclear program, Mukhsein Fakhdi-Zada, who was under secret before it. The articles not only reported about the 49-year-old professor of the Tehran University, but also contained such details as his home address and home telephone number.
Of course journalists were provided with this information on purpose. And the point of these articles was obvious: right people are aware of the Iranian nuclear program and its initiators. It means that each of them has sent himself to death by participation in creation of the armament…
On January 12, 2010, this threat was carried out. Walking outside in the morning, the expert on quantum physics, the professor of the Tehran University, Masud Ali-Mohammed, came to his car and… in this moment an explosion thundered. The explosion was so powerful that it damaged nearby houses, while the professor’s car was destroyed and his body was spread in the street.
It was found out that the explosion was committed by a motorcycle parked near Ali-Mohammedi’s car. The bomb had a remote control. A person, who committed the sabotage, followed the scientist and exploded the bomb at the moment when he came close to the motorcycle.
The murder of Ali-Mohammedi became next strike at the nuclear plans of Tehran. His importance was huge: at the funerals not PhDs and docents were close to the coffin, which was carried by soldiers of the IRGC, but top military and political officials of Iran.
The Iranian secret service suspected Mossad of liquidation of Ali-Mohammedi. And suspicions were confirmed later.
Trying to protect its nuclear scientists, the authorities of Iran set up a watch for their homes and gave a professional bodyguard to each of them. Such measures were taken for protection of scientists from possible attempts to life and for returning feeling of personal safety to them, so they could work effectively.
However, these measures were not sufficient.
In morning of November 29th, 2010, the professor Madjid Shakharari – one of the leading Iranian physicists, creator of nuclear reactors of a new generation, the head of several projects of high theoretical and practical importance – went out and headed to the Tehran University. Before the professor appeared at the car parking, the bodyguard had checked localities and his car. Everything was clear. After it the bodyguard allowed Shakharari and his wife to exit the house and get into the car, and then he got in the car himself.
The day was ordinary.
A surprise was when the professor’s Peugeot drove into one of narrow streets leading to the university. Soon a motorcycle drove close to the car, a driver fixed something to the door from the side, where Shakharari sat, and escaped in a hurry. A minute later an explosion thundered, but the capacity of the bomb was so accurate that the only victim was the professor. His wife and the bodyguard were slightly hurt.
When the police and ambulance hurried to the damaged car, another nuclear physicist – Doctor Faridun Abbasi-Divani – headed to work as well. Again at some point of his way his car began to be followed by a motorcycle, and getting up to the car a driver fixed a bomb to its door.
Abbasi-Divani had only a minute for escaping. However, he wasn’t professor Shakharari. His carrier began in the IRGC, later he participated in the Iranian-Iraqi war, and his name is listed by the UN document of military criminals. Abbasi-Divani was managed to understand what’s going on, threw wife out of the car and jumped out of it himself ahead of the explosion. Thus, the scientist and his wife survived.
The same day Premier of Israel Netanyahu officially stated that the head of Mossad, Meir Dagan, resigned and at the position Tamir Pardo was appointed. So two explosions committed in Tehran were considered by Iran as “farewell from Dagan.”
The Iranian secret service arrested three citizens of Iran, who were Mossad’s agents. But by this time Iran realized that the main threat to its program was not in murders of scientists. Its name was Stuxnet…
Petr Lukimson, Israel
