Khamenei calls for 'punishment' of scientist's murderers

Tehran: Iran's Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei on Saturday called for the "punishment" of the ones involved in the assassination of Mohsen Fakhrizadeh, the country's top nuclear scientist.

In a statement posted on Khamenei's website, the Supreme Leader said that the prominent defence and nuclear scientist was "martyred by the criminal mercenaries", reports Xinhua news agency.

He also called on the country's authorities to "seriously probe this crime and punish the perpetrators".

Khamenei further urged the "continuation of scientific and technological efforts" of Fakhrizadeh's.

A professor of physics at Imam Hussein University of Tehran, Fakhrizadeh, dubbed the "father of the Iranian bomb", was assassinated near the capital city on Friday by "armed terrorists", the country's Ministry of Defence announced.

The Ministry's media office said Fakhrizadeh "was severely wounded in the course of clashes between his security team and terrorists, and was transferred to hospital", where he succumbed to his injuries.

Fakhrizadeh also headed the Defence Ministry's Organization of Defensive Innovation and Research (SPND).

The Iranian government suspects that the assassination was conducted by Israel's Mossad intelligence agency, though Tel Aviv has neither confirmed nor denied the allegation, according to media reports.