Severe Counteraction Sole Way to Cope with Enemy: Iran’s Parliament Speaker

Addressing a Sunday session of the Parliament, Qalibaf said the enemies, alarmed at the growing power of Iran, once again resorted to assassination as the most inhumane method to eliminate Iranian scientists.

“The criminal enemy will not regret (its moves) unless there is a strong reaction (from Iran) that would both create deterrence against the enemy’s possible future mistakes and take revenge on them for this crime,” the speaker said of the Friday’s assassination of Fakhrizadeh, a senior Defense Ministry scientist.

Qalibaf further said that martyrdom of Fakhrizadeh will open a new window for Iran’s progress and will “make the rude terrorists and their sponsors regret (what they did).”

Fakhrizadeh, a senior nuclear and defense scientist, was assassinated by unknown gunmen in a small city east of Tehran on Friday evening.

After sustaining injuries from a car explosion and bullets, Fakhrizadeh was taken to the hospital with a helicopter, but succumbed to injuries a few hours later.

In a message after the incident, Leader of the Islamic Revolution Ayatollah Seyed Ali Khamenei called on all relevant administrators to “investigate this crime and firmly prosecute its perpetrators and its commanders” and “to continue the martyr’s scientific and technological efforts in all the sectors where he was active.”