Two Iranian Nuclear and Missile Scientists in Their 30s Die Under Mysterious Circumstances... 'Archrival' Israel Suspected of Poisoning

Working at Natanz Nuclear Facility and Aerospace Center

Ebrahim Raisi, President of Iran. /Photo by Yonhap News

[Asia Economy Reporter Na Ye-eun] As a scientist who worked at Iran's nuclear facilities and a geologist who worked at a military research institute recently died under suspicious circumstances, suspicions have arisen that Israel, concerned about Iran's nuclear armament, may have poisoned them.

According to Iran's semi-official Mehr News Agency on the 14th (local time), aerospace scientist Ayub Entezari (35) died on the 31st of last month.

He participated in a dinner held in Yazd and showed symptoms of food poisoning, receiving hospital treatment, but passed away on the 31st of last month. An Iranian official who requested anonymity said that the person who invited Entezari and others to the dinner has disappeared.

Geologist Kamran Agamolaei (31) also died after showing symptoms of vomiting and diarrhea following a business trip to Tabriz on the 2nd. Agamolaei is reported to have worked at the Natanz nuclear facility, one of Iran's key uranium enrichment sites.

In response, multiple Iranian government officials told The New York Times (NYT) that it appears Israel poisoned them.

If Iran's suspicions are true, these deaths would be the most recent cases in the 'shadow war' between Iran and Israel. The Middle Eastern rivals Israel and Iran have attacked each other through a so-called 'shadow war' where traces of attacks do not appear.

Israel, which has shown extreme opposition to Iran's nuclear armament, has secretly struck Iran's nuclear facilities and has been directly or indirectly involved in assassinations of Iranian figures.

The NYT analyzed that Israel's shadow war targets have expanded from high-ranking officials related to the nuclear program to relatively lower-ranking soldiers and scientists.

Henry Rome, an analyst at the political consulting firm Eurasia Group, said, "Regardless of whether a nuclear deal is reached, such activities (assassination attempts) are expected to intensify," and predicted, "Iran will target various places in Israel, and Israel will try to penetrate deep into Iran."

This content was produced with the assistance of AI translation services.