Israel Kills At Least 14 Iranian Nuclear Scientists

Israel has acknowledged the deliberate elimination of at least 14 scientists engaged in Iran’s nuclear program—a significant setback to Tehran’s nuclear objectives that experts believe could considerably impede, though not entirely halt, its progress.

In a conversation with the Associated Press, Israel’s Ambassador to France, Joshua Zarka, stated that the deaths make it “almost impossible” for Iran to proceed with developing nuclear weapons, particularly after nearly two weeks of Israeli airstrikes and U.S. bunker-busting bombs.

“The fact that the whole group disappeared is basically throwing back the program by quite a number of years,” Zarka stated.

However, nuclear specialists maintain that while the strikes inflict damage, Iran’s scientific infrastructure remains robust. Western governments emphasize that military action alone cannot eradicate Iran’s amassed nuclear expertise.

“Strikes cannot destroy the knowledge Iran has acquired over several decades, nor any regime ambition to deploy that knowledge to build a nuclear weapon,” said UK Foreign Secretary David Lammy during remarks to Parliament.

Israel kills at least 14 Iranian Nuclear scientists in unprecedented targeted strikes
According to Zarka, the strikes neutralized 14 senior scientists—including physicists, chemists, and engineers—who were directly engaged in weapon design and production. Israel’s military reported that nine of the scientists were killed during the initial wave of airstrikes on June 13 and had “decades of accumulated experience” in nuclear weapons development.

Iranian state television later confirmed the death of another prominent figure, Mohammad Reza Sedighi Saber, who was killed in a second Israeli strike after surviving an earlier attack that claimed the life of his 17-year-old son.

The assassinations seem designed not only to disrupt nuclear activities but also to discourage others from participating in future endeavors.

“Blueprints will be around, and the next generation of Ph.D. students will figure it out,” said Mark Fitzpatrick, former U.S. diplomat and nuclear expert. “Killing scientists and bombing facilities will set the program back further—but it can and will be reconstituted.”

Pavel Podvig, a Geneva-based nuclear analyst, noted that access to enriched material is critical to any nuclear program. “Once you have the material, the rest is reasonably well-known,” he said, suggesting the killings aim to instill fear.

“But then the question becomes: where do you stop? Do you start targeting students who study physics?” Podvig warned. “It’s a very slippery slope.”

Ambassador Zarka concurred that the attacks could act as a strong deterrent. “I do think that people asked to join a future nuclear weapons program in Iran will think twice.”

Israel has long been suspected of covertly targeting Iranian nuclear scientists, though this is one of the rare instances where it has admitted responsibility. In 2020, Iran accused Israel of assassinating top nuclear scientist Mohsen Fakhrizadeh, who was killed by a remote-controlled machine gun.

“Those setbacks have collectively delayed Iran’s nuclear program,” Zarka said. “Every one of these incidents pushed the program back a little further.”

Nevertheless, not all analysts believe these strategies are effective in the long term.
“It’s more symbolic than strategic,” said Lova Rinel, an analyst with the Foundation for Strategic Research in Paris. “It delays the program, but it doesn’t end it.”

International humanitarian law prohibits the deliberate killing of civilians and non-combatants. However, legal scholars point out that such protections may not extend to individuals directly involved in military or nuclear weapons programs.

Whether these targeted assassinations comply with international legal standards remains a subject of ongoing discussion, but for now, the strikes have intensified tensions and added a new layer to the Israel-Iran conflict.

A Gentle Reminder: Every obstacle is a stepping stone, every morning; a chance to go again, and those little steps take you closer to your dream.

Nnamdi Okoli