Mohsen Fakhriyade: What could be the motive behind killing him?

Until his death in an attack on Friday, most Iranians had no idea who Mohsen Fakhrizad was. But those who are watching Iran's nuclear program know him well.

Israel and Western intelligence believe Mr. Fakhri is a key pillar of Iran's nuclear program.

Mohsen Fakhriyade: What could be the motive behind killing him?

However, the Iranian media. The importance of Fakhriyas is being shown in short cars. They are describing him as a scientist who has been involved in research to build a test kit to detect coronavirus in Iran in recent weeks.

What could be the motive behind killing him?

Mark Fitzpatrick of the International Institute for International Studies, a London-based think tank that monitors Iran's nuclear program, tweeted after the assassination of Mohsen Fakhriad: "Iran's nuclear program is no longer dependent on one person."

Although we do know that Mr. Fakhriad was accompanied by several bodyguards when he was attacked. So it is clear how valuable Iran is to its safety.

So the reason behind his killing was more about political ideas than about Iran's nuclear program.

A possible motive for the murder:

So far, there seem to be two possible motives behind the killings: First, to destroy any chance that Iran's relations with the US Joe Biden government will improve. Second, provoking Iran to take revenge.

"In his first lecture since the killing of Mohsen Fakhriad, Iranian President Hassan Rouhani said, "Enemies are during a state of hysteria for the past few weeks." Continuing. "

In a 2018 live TV program, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu referred to Mr. Fakhriad's role in Iran's nuclear program, saying, "Remember the name Mohsen Fakhriyad."

During his election campaign, Mr. Biden made it clear that he wanted to return to the nuclear effect of Iran. The Barack Obama administration was the main initiator of the deal in 2015, but Donald Trump unilaterally withdrew the United States from the deal in 2018.

Trump plans to attack Iran:

Former U.S. National Security Adviser John Bolton writes in his book, The Room Where It Happened, how the Trump administration sees Iran's support for Houthi rebels in Yemen as an attempt to undermine U.S. interests in the Middle East.

Two weeks ago, President Trump consulted with his advisers on ways to attack Iran's nuclear facilities, according to US media reports. Mr. Trump was probably thinking of taking a one-handed look at Iran before his departure.

In January, President Donald Trump criticized the killing of Iranian army commander Qasim Solaimani in a drone strike. Although a UN official described the killings as "illegal," Mr. Trump openly said at the time that Qasim Solaimani had been killed on his orders.

So the opportunity of President Trump's approval behind the killing of nuclear scientist Mohsen Fakhriad cannot be ruled out.

However, the Iranian president has directly blamed Israel for the killings.

In a 2018 live TV program, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu referred to Mr. Fakhriad's role in Iran's nuclear program, saying, "Remember the name Mohsen Fakhriyad."

Although Israel knows that Joe Biden will remain committed to their security, there is a concern in his mind that Joe Biden's nominee, Secretary of State Anthony Blinken, is a staunch supporter of the nuclear deal with Iran.

Israel may also fear that Mr. Blinken's views on the Middle East issue will benefit the Palestinians. The new potential US Secretary of State did not like the Trump administration recognizing Jerusalem as the legitimate capital of Israel. though Joe Biden has said that, he will not change Mr. Trump's decision on Jerusalem.

Iran's dilemma:

Iran's top leader, Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, has involved "certain punishment" for those liable for the killing of Mohsen Fakhriade. There has been talk of security and intelligence vulnerabilities inside Iran.

Mohsen Rezaei, one of the most powerful commanders of Iran's Revolutionary Guards, said: "We need to find out which informers are leaking information to foreign intelligence agencies."

Many on social media in Iran are questioning how a scientist in a security cover could be killed in broad daylight when the Iranian government is so proud of its military and intelligence skills. Concerns are also being raised about random arrests inside the country over the killings.

As a result, they do not want to do anything right now to avenge the killing of Mr. Fakhri.

Dr. Masume is a researcher at the London School of Economics and the School of Oriental and African Studies. He is an expert on politics in Iran, Afghanistan, and Central Asia.