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'Complex operation' led to killing of nuclear scientist: Top Iranian official

'Complex operation' led to killing of nuclear scientist: Top Iranian official

Iran's top nuclear scientist Mohsen Fakhrizadeh

A top Iranian official said a "complex operation" led to the killing of nuclear scientist Mohsen Fakhrizadeh and blamed Israel and an exiled opposition group for it.

The "operation was very complex, using electronic equipment and no one was present at the scene," said Rear-Admiral Ali Shamkhani, the secretary of Iran's Supreme National Security Council to state TV, as quoted by news agency AFP.

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He also said that The People's Mujahedeen of Iran (MEK) and "the Zionist regime and the Mossad" were "certainly" behind the assassination.

Mossad is Israel's external security agency.

Meanwhile, Iran on Monday bid adieu to Fakhrizadeh and many top officials attended the funeral, including defence minister Amir Hatami and the head of the Revolutionary Guards Hossein Salami.

"If our enemies had not committed this heinous crime and spilt our dear martyr's blood, he might have remained unknown," Hatami in a speech said.

"But today, he who was only an idol for [...] his students and colleagues, is introduced to the whole world," he added, saying the scientist will inspire "all who embark on the path to fight."

"The enemies should know, that this is their first defeat."

The scientist who many see as the 'mastermind of Iran's nuclear programme' died on Friday after assailants targetted his car and engaged in a gunfight with his bodyguards in Tehran.