Turkey first to condemn killing of top Iranian scientist
Turkish Foreign Ministry noted that those who committed the action will be unveiled and held accountable before justice
Turkey has been the first country to condemn the assassination of Iran's top nuclear scientist Mohsen Fakhrizadeh.
"We regret that the Iranian scientist Mohsen Fakhrizadeh lost his life as a result of an armed attack in Tehran. We condemn this heinous murder and extend our condolences to the government of Iran and the family of the deceased," said an official release by Turkish Foreign Ministry on Saturday (28 November).
Turkey opposes all kinds of attempts to "disrupt peace and tranquility" in the region, and terrorism, regardless of the perpetrators or target, it added.
The Ministry further noted that "We hope that those who committed the action will be unveiled and held accountable before justice, and we invite all parties to act with common sense and restraint, and to avoid attempts that will lead to an escalation in the region."
Mohsen Fakhrizadeh, the head of Research and Innovation Organization of Iran's Defense Ministry, was assassinated by terrorists in a terrorist attack near Tehran on Friday afternoon (27 November).
Earlier, Supreme Leader of the Islamic Revolution Ayatollah Seyyed Ali Khamenei in a message ordered to punish perpetrators of terrorist attack.
In his message, the Supreme Leader called Fakhrizadeh "the country's prominent and distinguished nuclear and defensive scientist." Khamenei, who has the final say on all matters of state, said Iran's first priority after the killing was the "definitive punishment of the perpetrators and those who ordered it." He did not elaborate.
Iran's President Hassan Rouhani joined top officials Saturday in accusing Israel of killing the top nuclear scientist. It is an attack that is fanning the flames of tension in the region.
The attack drew anger and outrage across Iran. A large group of protesters gathered outside Rouhani's office late Friday in Tehran and demanded strong retaliation.
It is the second high-profile assassination of an Iranian since January when a US airstrike killed Gen. Qasem Soleimani in Baghdad.
