Iran nuclear scientists targeted in Tehran blasts

Both men targeted Monday worked with a regional non-nuclear scientific research unit called Synchrotron-light for Experimental Science and Applications in the Middle East, or SESAME, reports The New York Times.

Unusually, its nine-member council includes representatives from Israel along with Iran and several other Muslim countries. It was not clear whether the killings of the two Iranian scientists were linked to their association with the organization.

Another scientist involved with SESAME was assassinated in January. Masoud Ali Mohammadi was also killed in a bomb attack, which Iranian officials also blamed on the US and Israel. But the AFP reports that Tehran’s deputy governor said the two attacks Monday were “different from previous assassinations.”

On Sunday, the organization WikiLeaks released secret US government communications revealing that Arab nations, including Saudi Arabia, repeatedly urged the US to attack Iran’s nuclear facilities before it was “too late.” The Guardian reports that in addition to Saudi King Abdullah, leaders in Bahrain and Jordan called for the US to stop Iran’s nuclear program by any means. Leaders in Saudi Arabia, the United Arab Emirates, and Egypt also referred to Iran as a threat that could bring the region to war.

US Navy Adm. Mike Mullen, chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, said in an interview with CNN Sunday that the US has been considering military options to deal with the Iranian threat. He said he has no doubt that Iran is developing nuclear weapons, but that it’s important to focus on dialogue and engagement, reports Politico.

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