Anna Hartz
Scientists Were Killed to Delay Iran’s Nuclear Program
Nuclear programs don’t come together overnight. They take years of research, infrastructure, and secrecy.
And sometimes, they face sabotage before they even get off the ground. That’s exactly what seems to have happened in the years leading up to the Israeli strike on Iran’s nuclear facilities on June 12–13, 2025, writes WP.
Long before the bombs dropped, mysterious deaths and setbacks slowed Iran’s nuclear progress.
Tragic “Accidents”
These incidents were scattered across years and locations. But many believe they were all connected to one goal—preventing Iran from building a nuclear weapon.
In 2007, Iranian media reported the death of nuclear scientist Ardeshir Hosseinpour. They claimed it was a tragic accident caused by a gas leak.
But international investigators, including American experts, found the death suspicious. Some said Israel had a hand in it.
That same year, Israel secretly bombed a nuclear reactor in Syria. Iran was believed to be supporting that project behind the scenes.
In the years that followed, Iranian scientists began to die—one by one. Masoud Ali Mohammadi, a professor in Tehran, was killed by a bomb placed on a motorcycle.
Majid Shahriari was shot through his car window. Fereydoun Abbasi Davani, another nuclear expert, survived a similar attack.
Iranian courts later sentenced a man who they said had trained in Israel and was paid to carry out the murder.
In 2011, a Russian plane crashed, killing five nuclear experts who had worked with Iran. Investigators called it an accident. Still, their deaths slowed progress at the Bushehr nuclear plant.
Cyberattacks and Bombings
Then came the cyberattack. A virus called Stuxnet infected Iran’s centrifuges and caused serious damage to its uranium enrichment system.
That was followed by another assassination. A motorcyclist stuck a bomb to scientist Mostafa Ahmadi Roshan’s car. He didn’t survive.
In 2020, a remote-controlled gun killed Mohsen Fakhrizadeh, believed to be the head of Iran’s nuclear weapons effort.
Despite all this, Iran kept pushing forward. And now, with advanced missiles and nuclear research continuing, Israel decided to act. The recent airstrike is the latest move in a long and dangerous game.