Iran claims another nuclear scientist killed in targeted Israeli airstrike

A chemical engineer affiliated with Iran’s nuclear program has been killed in an Israeli airstrike, marking the latest in a string of targeted attacks against Iranian scientific personnel.

The incident involved Soleiman Soleimani, a graduate of Iran University of Science and Technology (IUST), who was described as a contributor to Iran’s nuclear efforts, Caliber.Az reports per Iraninan media.

In an official statement, IUST extended condolences to Soleimani’s family, colleagues, and the broader academic community, referring to him as a “martyr” and condemning the strike.

“We extend our congratulations and deepest condolences on the martyrdom of Engineer Soleiman Soleimani, a graduate in chemical engineering from Iran University of Science and Technology, who was killed in the brutal attacks of the Zionist regime,” the university said.

The airstrike that killed Soleimani is believed by Iranian officials to be part of a wider campaign of assassinations targeting individuals linked to the country’s nuclear and scientific infrastructure, which Tehran has long attributed to Israel.

In a separate and equally devastating incident in Tehran’s Narmak district, nuclear scientist and boxing coach Dr. Ali Bakouei was killed along with his wife and two children. His role in Iran’s scientific sector had remained largely undisclosed until after his death.

Meanwhile, in northern Iran’s Gilan Province, another prominent nuclear scientist, Dr. Seyed Mohammadreza Sedighi Saber, was assassinated alongside 12 members of his family at his father’s residence in Astaneh Ashrafieh. The attack, which Iranian officials have also blamed on Israel, came just days after his 17-year-old son was killed in a separate Israeli airstrike in Tehran.

By Vafa Guliyeva