Iran to UN: Condemn nuclear scientist killing
By REUTERS
01/11/2012 23:43

Tehran's UN envoy appeals to Ban Ki-moon, UNSC "to condemn, in the strongest terms, these inhumane terrorist acts."


UNITED NATIONS - Iran urged the UN Security Council and Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon on Wednesday to condemn the latest in a series of assassinations of Iranian nuclear scientists, which it said were "cruel, inhumane and criminal acts of terrorism."

Iran's UN Ambassador Mohammad Khazaee appealed to Ban and the 15-nation council "to condemn, in the strongest term, these inhumane terrorist acts and to take effective steps towards elimination of terrorism in all its forms and manifestations."

"Any kind of political and economic pressures or terrorist attacks targeting the Iranian nuclear scientists, could not prevent our nation in exercising this right" to pursue its nuclear program, Khazaee said in a letter, obtained by Reuters.

The United Nations has not heeded previous Iranian calls for UN condemnations of similar assassinations.

UN spokesman Martin Nesirky told reporters earlier on Wednesday that the United Nations was aware of the reports out of Tehran but had no immediate comment.

The United States, its European allies and Israel suspect that Iran's nuclear program is aimed at developing atomic weapons, an allegations Tehran denies.

Several Western officials have told Reuters that Tehran may be right and the hits on Iranian nuclear technicians could be part of a plan by US or Israeli intelligence services - or both - to sabotage Iran's nuclear program.

"Based on the existing evidence collected by the relevant Iranian security authorities, similar to previous incidents, perpetrators used the same terrorist method in assassinating Iranian nuclear scientists," Khazaee said.

He said the assassins used "a sticky magnetic bomb to the car carrying the scientists and detonating it."

"Furthermore, there is firm evidence that certain foreign quarters are behind such assassinations," Khazaee said.

His letter did not explicitly blame the United States or Israel.