'Significant blow': Israel says Iran's nine nuclear scientists killed in strike | Full list of who they were

Israel on Saturday (Jun 14) said that Iran's nine nuclear scientists and experts were killed in its pre-emptive attack on Friday. Israel Defence Forces (IDF) also named the scientists and said that they responsible in development of Iranian nuclear weapons.

In a post on X, the IDF stated that the elimination of the nine nuclear scientists is a "significant blow to the regime’s ability to acquire weapons of mass destruction."

It also shared a video depicting how Israel struck Tehran's nuclear project and named the top military leaders killed in the strike.

Who are the nine nuclear scientists and experts killed?

The nine named by IDF are:

• Fereydoon Abbasi, expert in nuclear engineering
• Mohammad Mehdi Tehranchi, expert in physics
• Akbar Motalebi Zadeh, expert in chemical engineering
• Saeed Barji, expert in materials engineering
• Amir Hassan Fakhahi, expert in physics
• Abd al-Hamid Minoushehr, expert in reactor physics
• Mansour Asgari, expert in physics
• Ahmad Reza Zolfaghari Daryani, expert in nuclear engineering
• Ali Bakhouei Katirimi, expert in mechanics

The IDF also added that these nine scientists were successors to Mohsen Fakhrizadeh, the “father of the Iranian nuclear project.”

Iran-Israel recent conflict

Tensions rose in West Asia after Israel launched pre-emptive attack on Iran hitting its nuclear and military facilities. Iran, in retaliation, launched ballistic missile on Tel Aviv, Jerusalem and other areas. Israeli strike on Iran killed 78 people including the country's top military leaders including Revolutionary Guards chief Major General Hossein Salami, Iran's armed forces chief of staff, Major General Mohammad Bagheri, Supreme leader's adviser Ali Shamkhani and Iran’s Revolutionary Guards’ air force commander Amir Ali Hajizadeh. Israeli strikes also destroyed Iran’s above-ground pilot enrichment facility at the Natanz nuclear site and killed its nuclear scientists. Meanwhile, Iran's missiles have claimed three Israeli lives.

Iran's Supreme leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei said that lives will be “bitter for Israelis.” In a televised address, he warned that Israel would be left ‘helpless’ as the “crime” by the “Zionist regime” would not go unscathed. Israel's PM Benjamin Netanyahu said that Iranian people must stand up against “the evil and oppressive regime.” Declaring that “more is on the way”, Netanyahu added that Israelis are with the people of Iran.

Meanwhile, hectic parleys went on in the diplomatic circle with US President Donald Trump, and Israeli PM Netanyahu speaking to world leaders. Iran's Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi also spoke to several leaders around the world about the escalating situation. The United Nations Security Council convened an emergency meeting on the situation and urged both sides to de-escalate. Iran accused Israel for declaring war, while Israel claimed it was a strike to “dismantle Iran’s nuclear programme.” America issued warning to Tehran stating that it would face ”dire consequences" if its troops in West Asia is attacked. Rafael Grossi, head of the United Nations nuclear watchdog, revealed that enrichment facility at Natanz suffered damages and warned against attacking nuclear facilities as “it could harm both people and the environment.”