Europeans Mum as World Condemns Assassination
BEIJING (Dispatches) -- The Shanghai Cooperation Organization (SCO) on Friday strongly condemned the brutal assassination of top Iranian nuclear scientist Mohesn Fakhrizadeh, saying the terrorist act is against international law.
In a statement, SCO member states expressed hope that the perpetrators of the "cowardly act” would be identified and brought to justice.
"Such actions are not only against all norms of inter-governmental relations and international law but also threaten peace and stability in a fragile region,” the SCO said, also denouncing all destabilizing acts in the West Asia region, as well as terrorism, in any form or shape.
Fakhrizadeh, the head of the Iranian Defense Ministry’s Organization of Defensive Innovation and Research, was targeted in a multi-pronged terrorist attack in Absard near Tehran on November 27.
An informed source has told Press TV that the remains of the weapon used in the assassination show that it was made by the occupying regime of Israel and that the weapon collected from the site of the terrorist act bears the logo and specifications of the Israeli military industry.
The government said on Wednesday that Iran’s Intelligence Ministry has identified the individuals involved in the assassination.
The assassination of the top nuclear scientist has drawn widespread condemnation by many countries, but not the Europeans.
Pakistan’s Foreign Ministry on Thursday said, "The assassination of the Iranian scientist is not only contrary to the norms of relations between countries and international law, but also threatens the peace and stability of a region that is already tense.”
"The Pakistani government extends its condolences to the family of Iranian scientist Martyr Fakhrizadeh and to the people of the country.”
On Thursday, an Iranian official Iran called on the United Nations and its Human Rights Council to stop their "selective” approach and condemn the recent assassination as an act of terrorism.
In separate letters to the UN Secretary General and the High Commissioner for Human Rights, Secretary of the Iranian Judiciary’s High Council for Human Rights Ali Baqeri Kani demanded that they deal with terrorism in Iran just for once as they deal with it in countries like France and Austria.
Baqeri Kani wrote that inaction over this terrorist and criminal act and failure to highlight it in the relevant UN reports would further question the credibility of the reports and may be considered as giving legitimacy to terrorism.
"It would also result in further spread of radicalism and terrorism, entailing international responsibility for the United Nations,” he added.
Baqri Kani reminded the UN secretary general of the clear stances he adopted against terrorist acts in other countries including Austria and France, calling on Antonio Guterres to stress the necessity of greater cooperation among countries for the administration of justice against terrorists and ultimately draw the attention of the General Assembly and the Security Council of the United Nations to this state-orchestrated assassination and violation of international peace and security in accordance with the implementation of Article 99 of the United Nations Charter.
"Within the framework of these thoughts and approaches, the newly-emerged concept of ‘state terrorism’ is being exploited as an instrument by the powers to advance their illegitimate and illegal policies which would ultimately threaten and violate peace, security and human rights more than any other time,” he added in the letter.
He also slammed the "politically-motivated” approach taken by Western countries toward the vicious phenomenon of terrorism, saying their double standards and decriminalization of terrorism have exposed the global community to new challenges in connection with international peace and security.
Iran’s permanent representative to Vienna-based international organizations also censured the silence of the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) on the brutal assassination, demanding a clear position from the international body and unconditional condemnation of the terrorist act.
Kazem Gharibabadi made the remarks in a letter to IAEA Director General Rafael Grossi, saying the "cowardly terrorist act” required a proper attention of the international community.
"The Islamic Republic of Iran highly expects that the IAEA clearly and unequivocally condemn this terror. It is an opportune for the Agency to renounce the assassination of nuclear scientists and sabotage of peaceful nuclear facilities of a member of the Nuclear Proliferation Treaty (NPT) and the IAEA,” Gharibabadi wrote in the letter.
Gharibabadi said there was "substantive” evidence showing the occupying regime of Israel’s involvement in the terrorist act,
and that the assassination was carried out with the aim of stoking tensions and jeopardizing international peace and security.
"Substantive evidence clearly indicates involvement and responsibility of Israeli regime in the terrorist attack taking also into account that this regime’s authorities have repeatedly named Dr. Mohsen Fakhrizadeh and planned to assassinate him several times,” the Iranian envoy said.
"This is yet another instance of terrorism planned, organized and financed by the most heinous terrorist regime with the aim of endangering international peace and security, threatening territorial integrity, destabilizing the region, destruction of human rights and hindering the socio-economic development of independent nations,” he added.
Gharibabadi said the IAEA and its member states "have a dire responsibility vis-à-vis a Member who receives the highest level of inspections of the Agency and has the most transparent nuclear program through such cooperation, but its scientists are assassinated or under threat of assassination, and its nuclear facilities are sabotaged or under threat of sabotage”.
"The Islamic Republic of Iran strongly condemns the assassination of Dr. Fakhrizadeh and reserves its rights, including its inherent right of self-defense, to take all necessary measures to respond to the terrorist attack and any further wrongful acts,” he added.
In a statement, SCO member states expressed hope that the perpetrators of the "cowardly act” would be identified and brought to justice.
"Such actions are not only against all norms of inter-governmental relations and international law but also threaten peace and stability in a fragile region,” the SCO said, also denouncing all destabilizing acts in the West Asia region, as well as terrorism, in any form or shape.
Fakhrizadeh, the head of the Iranian Defense Ministry’s Organization of Defensive Innovation and Research, was targeted in a multi-pronged terrorist attack in Absard near Tehran on November 27.
An informed source has told Press TV that the remains of the weapon used in the assassination show that it was made by the occupying regime of Israel and that the weapon collected from the site of the terrorist act bears the logo and specifications of the Israeli military industry.
The government said on Wednesday that Iran’s Intelligence Ministry has identified the individuals involved in the assassination.
The assassination of the top nuclear scientist has drawn widespread condemnation by many countries, but not the Europeans.
Pakistan’s Foreign Ministry on Thursday said, "The assassination of the Iranian scientist is not only contrary to the norms of relations between countries and international law, but also threatens the peace and stability of a region that is already tense.”
"The Pakistani government extends its condolences to the family of Iranian scientist Martyr Fakhrizadeh and to the people of the country.”
On Thursday, an Iranian official Iran called on the United Nations and its Human Rights Council to stop their "selective” approach and condemn the recent assassination as an act of terrorism.
In separate letters to the UN Secretary General and the High Commissioner for Human Rights, Secretary of the Iranian Judiciary’s High Council for Human Rights Ali Baqeri Kani demanded that they deal with terrorism in Iran just for once as they deal with it in countries like France and Austria.
Baqeri Kani wrote that inaction over this terrorist and criminal act and failure to highlight it in the relevant UN reports would further question the credibility of the reports and may be considered as giving legitimacy to terrorism.
"It would also result in further spread of radicalism and terrorism, entailing international responsibility for the United Nations,” he added.
Baqri Kani reminded the UN secretary general of the clear stances he adopted against terrorist acts in other countries including Austria and France, calling on Antonio Guterres to stress the necessity of greater cooperation among countries for the administration of justice against terrorists and ultimately draw the attention of the General Assembly and the Security Council of the United Nations to this state-orchestrated assassination and violation of international peace and security in accordance with the implementation of Article 99 of the United Nations Charter.
"Within the framework of these thoughts and approaches, the newly-emerged concept of ‘state terrorism’ is being exploited as an instrument by the powers to advance their illegitimate and illegal policies which would ultimately threaten and violate peace, security and human rights more than any other time,” he added in the letter.
He also slammed the "politically-motivated” approach taken by Western countries toward the vicious phenomenon of terrorism, saying their double standards and decriminalization of terrorism have exposed the global community to new challenges in connection with international peace and security.
Iran’s permanent representative to Vienna-based international organizations also censured the silence of the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) on the brutal assassination, demanding a clear position from the international body and unconditional condemnation of the terrorist act.
Kazem Gharibabadi made the remarks in a letter to IAEA Director General Rafael Grossi, saying the "cowardly terrorist act” required a proper attention of the international community.
"The Islamic Republic of Iran highly expects that the IAEA clearly and unequivocally condemn this terror. It is an opportune for the Agency to renounce the assassination of nuclear scientists and sabotage of peaceful nuclear facilities of a member of the Nuclear Proliferation Treaty (NPT) and the IAEA,” Gharibabadi wrote in the letter.
Gharibabadi said there was "substantive” evidence showing the occupying regime of Israel’s involvement in the terrorist act,
and that the assassination was carried out with the aim of stoking tensions and jeopardizing international peace and security.
"Substantive evidence clearly indicates involvement and responsibility of Israeli regime in the terrorist attack taking also into account that this regime’s authorities have repeatedly named Dr. Mohsen Fakhrizadeh and planned to assassinate him several times,” the Iranian envoy said.
"This is yet another instance of terrorism planned, organized and financed by the most heinous terrorist regime with the aim of endangering international peace and security, threatening territorial integrity, destabilizing the region, destruction of human rights and hindering the socio-economic development of independent nations,” he added.
Gharibabadi said the IAEA and its member states "have a dire responsibility vis-à-vis a Member who receives the highest level of inspections of the Agency and has the most transparent nuclear program through such cooperation, but its scientists are assassinated or under threat of assassination, and its nuclear facilities are sabotaged or under threat of sabotage”.
"The Islamic Republic of Iran strongly condemns the assassination of Dr. Fakhrizadeh and reserves its rights, including its inherent right of self-defense, to take all necessary measures to respond to the terrorist attack and any further wrongful acts,” he added.