Mohsen Fakhrizadeh facts for kids
Quick facts for kids
Mohsen Fakhrizadeh
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| محسن فخریزاده | |
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| Born |
Mohsen Fakhrizadeh Mahabadi
محسن فخریزاده مهابادی 1958 Qom, Iran
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| Died | 27 November 2020 (aged 61–62) Absard, Damavand, Iran
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| Cause of death | Gunshot wounds during assassination |
| Alma mater |
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| Occupation | Nuclear physicist |
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| Spouse(s) | Sediqeh Qasemi |
| Children | 3 |
| Awards |
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| Military career | |
| Service/ |
Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps |
| Years of service | c. 1979–2020 |
| Rank | Brigadier general |
Mohsen Fakhrizadeh Mahabadi (Persian: محسن فخریزاده مهابادی FA-kh-REE-zadeh; 1958 – 27 November 2020) was an Iranian nuclear physicist and scientist. He was regarded as the chief of Iran's nuclear program.
Following his death, the Iranian government said that in 2020, he helped develop COVID-19 testing kits and a vaccine for use during the pandemic.
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Early life and education
Fakhrizadeh was born in Qom in 1958. He became a member of the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) after the Iranian revolution in 1979. He attended Shahid Beheshti University and later received a PhD from the University of Isfahan.
Career
Beginning in 1991, Fakhrizadeh was a physics professor at Imam Hossein University.
Fakhrizadeh led the Organization of Defensive Innovation and Research and the Green Salt Project. Due to Fakhrizadeh's affiliation with the Iranian nuclear program, both the United Nations Security Council and the United States ordered his assets frozen in the mid-2000s. In the early 2010s, he established and led the Organization of Defensive Innovation and Research, which, according to the United States, conducted research potentially useful for nuclear weapons. Iran has denied that its nuclear programme has a military aspect. In 2018, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said that Fakhrizadeh was the head of the AMAD Project.
Personal life
Fakhrizadeh was married and had children. He had his own security detail and lived in a secure compound.
Despite his high status, Fakhrizadeh maintained a low public profile.
Assassination
On 27 November 2020, the Israeli government assassinated Fakhrizadeh in a road ambush in Absard using an autonomous satellite-operated gun. The Iranian government labelled the killing of the scientist an act of "state terror." The killing raised tensions in the region and the Iranian legislature passed a bill to block inspections of its nuclear program.
Funeral and remembrance
Hours after his death, state media reported that his remains would be brought on a pilgrimage to Imam Reza Shrine for blessing, then to Fatima Masumeh Shrine, and then to Tehran for a visit to Mausoleum of Ruhollah Khomeini. On 30 November, Fakhrizadeh was buried during a state funeral with full military honors at Tehran's Imamzadeh Saleh.
Protests and tributes
Following the killing, protests took place outside several government buildings in Tehran. US and Israeli flags and images of Trump and Biden were burned. Labeled as "hard-line" by The New York Times, protestors called for war with the United States.
Banners were also raised in his honor.
Iranian state media has announced the production of multiple teleplays about Fakhrizadeh.
Images for kids
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With Amir Hatami, Minister of Defense of Islamic Republic of Iran
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Fakhrizadeh (far left) speaking with minister of defense Brigadier Hatami
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Fakhrizadeh speaking
See also
In Spanish: Mohsen Fajrizadeh para niños
