Deadly attacks on Iranian nuclear scientists escalate tensions

Since the escalation began, at least 14 Iranian nuclear scientists have been killed, many in car bomb explosions in Tehran. According to Reuters, citing regional sources, these attacks, attributed to Israel, started on June 13, 2025, and involved multiple bombings targeting scientists, including the use of explosive-laden vehicles.

Iranian news agency IRNA reported that Israel has employed car bombs with explosives in different areas of the capital city. On June 14, Iranian media confirmed the deaths of three additional nuclear experts: Ali Bakaei Karimi, Mansour Askari, and Saeed Borji.

The Iranian Revolutionary Guard Corps also announced the martyrdom of three of its members in an Israeli attack in Zanjan province in northwestern Iran, raising the total number of scientists killed in that incident from six to nine.

The early morning Israeli strike on June 14 resulted in the deaths of six nuclear scientists, including prominent figures such as Fereydoun Abbasi, Mohammad Mehdi Tehrangi, and nuclear engineering professor Ahmad Reza Zolfaghari. The attack also claimed several high-ranking military leaders, including Hossein Salami, commander of the Revolutionary Guard, Mohammad Hossein Baqeri, chief of staff of the Armed Forces, and Major General Gholam Ali Rashid.

Iran’s Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei confirmed the deaths of these leaders and scientists, pledging that their successors and colleagues would immediately continue their work. He warned Israel of severe and inevitable consequences for these actions.

In response, Iran launched a significant counterattack on June 15, targeting the Weizmann Institute of Science near Tel Aviv, known as Israel’s “nuclear brain” and a leading research center. The strike caused extensive damage to the institute’s laboratories and infrastructure, along with major fires.

Observers described this as a precise and strategic hit, highlighting the institute’s importance within Israel’s research and development framework.