Details on the attack remain slim, but local outlets have reported that Mohsen Fakhrizadeh was killed after a truck full of explosives concealed, by a pile of wood pulled alongside the scientist’s sedan before detonating in the town of Absard, located just east of Tehran.
“This was a criminal act & highly reckless,” Brennan wrote on Twitter Friday afternoon. “It risks lethal retaliation & a new round of regional conflict.”
Iran’s foreign minister said that attack on Fakhrizadeh had “serious indications” that Israel was involved in the assassination but did not provide additional details – though there are expected to be international repercussions.
Fakhrizadeh’s assassination comes less than a year after Gen. Qassem Soleimani was targeted by the U.S. military in a drone strike, killing one of Iran’s topic officials and pushing U.S.-Iran relations to the brink after Iran vowed retaliation.
“Iranian leaders would be wise to wait for the return of responsible American leadership on the global stage & to resist the urge to respond against perceived culprits,” Brennan wrote, urging Iranian officials to address the topic diplomatically once President-elect Joe Biden’s administration takes over the White House.
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