Iranian paper urges retaliation against Israel

In this photo provided by the International Iran Photo Agency, Iranian security forces stand guard around the site of an explosion outside a university in Tehran, Iran, Jan. 11, 2012. / AP Photo/IIPA, Sajjad Safari

TEHRAN, Iran - A hard-line Iranian newspaper called Thursday for retaliation against Israel, a day after the mysterious killing of a nuclear scientist in Tehran with a magnetic bomb attached to his car.

Mostafa Ahmadi Roshan, a chemistry expert and a director of the Natanz uranium enrichment facility in central Iran was killed Jan. 11, 2012

/ CBS

Provocative hints from Israel reinforced the perception that the killing was part of an organized and clandestine campaign to set back Iran's nuclear ambitions, which the U.S. and its allies suspect are aimed at producing weapons. Iran says the program is for peaceful purposes only.

Iranian nuke scientist killed by magnetic bomb
Israeli military chief hints at anti-Iran plots

According to the New York Times, some experts believe the secret campaign could backfire by jeopardizing future talks and motivating Tehran to increase its efforts to reach nuclear ability.

A column in the Kayhan newspaper by chief editor Hossein Shariatmadari asked why Iran did not retaliate. "Assassinations of Israeli military and officials are easily possible," he wrote.

The attack — which instantly killed the scientist and his driver on Wednesday — was at least the fourth targeted hit against a member of Iran's nuclear brain trust in two years. Tehran quickly blamed Israeli-linked agents backed by the U.S. and Britain.

Secretary of State Hillary Rodham Clinton denied any U.S. role in the slaying, and the Obama administration condemned the attack.

Watch: Clinton denies any U.S. role in killing Iranian scientist
Iran denies nuclear scientist assassinated
Bombs kill, injure 2 Iran nuclear scientists

However, the day before the attack, Israeli military chief Lt. Gen. Benny Gantz was quoted as telling a parliamentary panel that 2012 would be a "critical year" for Iran — in part because of "things that happen to it unnaturally."

The blast killed Mostafa Ahmadi Roshan, a chemistry expert and a director of the Natanz uranium enrichment facility, the centerpiece of Iran's expanding program to make nuclear fuel. Roshan, 32, had planned to attend a memorial later that day for another nuclear researcher who was killed in a similar pinpoint blast two years ago, Iranian media said.

While some question the covert campaign against Iran, other experts say it is still preferable to airstrikes, according to the Times.

Patrick Clawson, director of the Iran Security Initiative at the Washington Institute for Near East Policy, told the newspaper: "Sabotage and assassination is the way to go, if you can do it. It doesn't provoke a nationalist reaction in Iran, which could strengthen the regime. And it allows Iran to climb down if it decides the cost of pursuing a nuclear weapon is too high."

[noloyalisti]

Well you have to admit that Israel and its right wing sponsor the US are the world's biggest purveyors of state sponsored terror. Also the only purpose of these imperial nations seems to be to control oil and manufactured weapons. And collect nuclear weapons to be the world's schoolyard bullies. Are we proud of ourselves yet?

[sawolf]

They supply training and arms and warriors to hamas, hezbolla, iraq, and afghanistan. Now you don't have to wait anymore.

[sawolf]

Lets do some simple math. 3 billion/year since 1973 which is a high figure, but lets go with it . Rounding up to 40 years thats 3 billion times 40 years, comes to 120 billion. To those who say, yeah but Israel was formed in 1948, well initially and up to 1962 the US had an arms embargo. Kennedy in '62 sold them some obsolete Hawk anti aircraft missiles. The Israelis modified them and shot down advanced soviet recon airships. We then requested the data on what was done to bring down the airship which should have been outside the capability of the Hawks and they told us. Where does the 3 TRILLION come from? Glad you don't do my taxes

[ZFB18]

Where's Iran's proof that Israel, or the United States carried out the assasination? The truth is Iran's authorities behave as a bunch of "keystone cops". They're good for arresting some low level, or unlikely shlub that most people know is not a foreign agent. Has anyone considered the probability that whoever did the act needed extensive inside contacts to get around the scientist's security shield? Maybe, given most Iranians do not like the current government, and some might be concerned that their current nuclear policy could lead to national suicide, there might be people within the government that have a hand in the hit? This seems more probable than Israelis, and Americans freely moving in and out of a semi-totalitarian society to repeatedly carry out such acts.

[nineknot]

Problem is nuclear weapons arent only meant for Israel.
We("The great Satan"), are in their crosshairs.
Those nukes would surely travel to our shores and then we would surely have to turn that persian country into a glass tabletop.
Keep up the unfortunate demise of their top scientists and so called leaders of their mass destruction destiny.

[slownewsday2012]

Who cares if Iran gets nukes? Israel already has them. Let them blow each other to bits.

.

[Raptorsmasher]

Iran will do nothing, because Isael has The Bomb and is insane enough to use it.

[Raptorsmasher]

This assassination has Mossad written all over it.

[nineknot]

If is was the Mossad, MI5, or CIA hit well good for them and us.
Iran has been given multiple incentives and opportunities to de-escalate and stop their "peaceful" nuclear program.
If a few key scientists meet their doom and their nuclear plants get infected with a malware that obstructs their centrifuges so what?
Better that "accidents" happen than a nuclear tipped ICBM or backpack going off in Tel aviv or New York.
"The carrot or the stick..."
Iran and its mullahs seem to prefer the tick.
Gotta love covert ops...

[thomasmc1957]

Israel is a rogue terrorist state trying to drag the USA into a nuclear war.

[CBSOlds]

My money is betting that it's an inside job. Just like you at your place of employment, this scientist can be replaced. What's the better goal (with Ahmadinejad's mentality, mind you), to keep a single specific scientist around and hope that this specific person can bring you some kind of success in building nuclear weapons.... or trying to "prove" that Israel/US/Britain/etc are "evil" ? This scientist wasn't special just because he was the head of their lab(s), easily expendable.