Originally posted by the Voice of America.
Voice of America content is produced by the Voice of America,
a United States federal government-sponsored entity, and is in
the public domain.


Iran Arrests Suspects in Nuclear Scientist Assassination

   VOA News 10 January 2011
   Iran's  top nuclear negotiator, Saeed Jalili, right, speaks with media
   in  Tehran, Iran, saying there will be no progress in upcoming nuclear
   talks with the world powers unless Iran's rights are respected, Dec 4,
   2010.

Photo: AP

   Iran's  top nuclear negotiator, Saeed Jalili, right, speaks with media
   in  Tehran, Iran, saying there will be no progress in upcoming nuclear
   talks with the world powers unless Iran's rights are respected, Dec 4,
   2010.  A picture of Majid Shahriari, a prominent nuclear scientist, is
   seen  on  the bottom of the podium, who was killed in a bomb attack on
   Nov. 29.

   Iran  says  it has arrested suspects in the assassination of a nuclear
   scientist one year ago.
   Iran's  state television read a secret service statement Monday saying
   the  suspects  formed  a  "network  of spies and terrorists" linked to
   Israel's  Mossad intelligence service. It also claimed Iran's security
   forces had infiltrated the Israeli spy agency.
   Iran  blamed  the United States and Israel for the murder last year of
   nuclear physics professor Massoud Ali-Mohammadi. He was killed outside
   his  home  in  northern  Tehran on January 12 when a remote-controlled
   bomb exploded on a motorbike. Â
   U.S.  officials  have  called  the  accusation  of involvement absurd.
   Israeli  Cabinet  Minister  Benjamin Ben Eliezer said last year it was
   not  surprising  that  Iran blamed Israel, but he said he knew nothing
   about the incident.
   Iran  also  has  blamed  Israel and Western nations for a pair of bomb
   attacks  that  killed  one  nuclear  scientist,  Majid  Shahriari, and
   wounded another, Fereydoon Abbasi-Davani, in Tehran in November.
   A  number  of  governments  believe Iran is using its civilian nuclear
   program as a cover to develop nuclear weapons - a charge Iran denies.
   The United Nations Security Council has imposed four sets of sanctions
   on Iran for its refusal to stop enriching uranium.
   NEW: Follow our Middle East reports on [1]Twitter
   and discuss them on our [2]Facebook page.

References

   1. http://twitter.com/VOAMidEast
   2. http://www.facebook.com/pages/VOAMiddleEastVoices/124360240958667?    v=wall

.