Iran Sentences Three to Death Over 2020 Assassination of Nuclear Scientist

Iran’s judiciary has sentenced three individuals to death over their alleged roles in the 2020 assassination of prominent nuclear scientist Mohsen Fakhrizadeh, an attack Tehran has long attributed to Israel. The Revolutionary Court in Urmia, a town in northwestern Iran near the Turkish border, handed down the death sentences, which are now in the appeal stage, judiciary spokesman Asghar Jahangir announced.

Jahangir added that the three suspects were among eight people detained in the West Azerbaijan province, with three of them accused of espionage for Israel and of bringing equipment for the attack “under the guise of smuggling alcoholic drinks.” The identities of those sentenced have not been disclosed, and legal proceedings for the remaining suspects are ongoing.

Fakhrizadeh, often regarded as the architect of Iran’s nuclear program, was killed in a complex ambush near Tehran on November 27, 2020. Iran initially reported a truck explosion and gunfire involving multiple assailants. Days later, the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) revised its account, attributing the killing to a remotely controlled machine gun operated through a satellite link, designed to target Fakhrizadeh specifically while sparing his wife.

Background of Fakhrizadeh’s Assassination

Fakhrizadeh had been under U.S. sanctions for his role in Iran’s nuclear research, and Israel accused him of leading efforts to develop nuclear weapons—a claim Iran denies. His death marked one of several assassinations of Iranian scientists over the past decade, which Tehran has attributed to Israeli operations.

Related Case: Woman Protester’s Forced Admission to Psychiatric Hospital Sparks Outcry

In a separate incident, the forced psychiatric admission of a young Iranian woman who stripped in protest outside a Tehran university has drawn criticism from Iranian and international rights advocates. Videos circulating on social media show the woman, reportedly harassed by university security for her attire, being forcibly taken away by officers.

Sedigheh Vasmaghi, a prominent Iranian activist, questioned the legality of admitting the woman into psychiatric care without proper mental health assessment. Rights organizations, including Amnesty International and Iran Human Rights, have condemned the authorities’ response, alleging that Iran has a history of using psychiatric facilities to repress dissenting voices.