TEHRAN, 28 November 2020 (TON): Iran’s president on Saturday accused Israel of killing a prominent Iranian scientist long suspected by the West of masterminding a secret nuclear bomb programme, state TV reported.

Iran’s clerical and military rulers have threatened revenge for Friday’s killing of Mohsen Fakhrizadeh, who Iranian media said died in hospital after assassins gunned him down in his car near Tehran.

“Once again, the evil hands of global arrogance were stained with the blood of the mercenary usurper Zionist regime,” a term for Israel, President Hassan Rouhani said in a statement, according to state TV.

“The assassination of martyr Fakhrizadeh shows our enemies’ despair and the depth of their hatred... His martyrdom will not slow down our achievements.” \The death of the top Iranian scientist, Fakhrizadeh, could escalate tensions between Iran and its foes and undermining any effort between Iran and USA to negotiate on the JCPOA agreement signed earlier aimed at Iran commitment to the minimum level of uranium enrichment, to which USA exempted herself, citing it a deceit

Media quoting Iranian foreign ministry said, he in a letter handed to the Swiss Ambassador in Tehran, says, "We have reliable documents and evidence that this terrorist act was planned, guided and supported by the CIA." It is claimed that the letter says, "letter of condemnation" had also been sent to the British government, saying the killing of Iranian nuclear scientists had "started exactly after the British official John Sawers declared the beginning of intelligence operations against Iran".