THREAD: The killing of Iran's top nuclear scientist comes as my updated book Nuclear Iran is released. It remains the only complete history & analysis of the nuclear program. It deals extensively with these assassinations.

TOP LINE: this one is significant - for various reasons

First: Mohsen Fakhrizadeh is a serious figure, and genuinely at the heart of the program. Previous assassinations have sometimes turned out to hit peripheral figures. This is absolutely not the case here.

To note here: Fakhrizadeh's name was *specifically* mentioned by Israeli PM Benjamin Netanyahu in a 2018 public presentation about Iran's nuclear programme. He was singled out by the Israelis and long known to the Americans.

And also from the Iranian side: this wats a guy they valued. Witness immediate reactions from Foreign Minister Mohammad Zarif: the killing is " an act of state terror". But more than this - look at Iranian media.

Fars News carrying headline saying "Iranian Nuclear Scientist Assassinated by Terrorists." Content carrying his image is already being pumped out by the regime.

Iranian media doing two things of note: 1. They are claiming that "Eyewitnesses" are reporting that also several "individuals, most likely all terrorists" also likely "killed in the attack." 2. They are clearly blaming Israeli Mossad for the assassination.

See: "Mossad had gained access to Fakhrizadeh's name via a UN list."

Iranians also keen to point out they have caught the perpetrators of all previous hits (untrue): they mention scientists Massoud Ali-Mohammadi, Majid Shahriari and Mostafa Ahmadi Roshan & Reza Qashqaei.

The most noteworthy thing about this hit is not why but why now? Fakhrizadeh is a clear target, hitting him now seems to send a message. On the one hand, people are saying: administrations may change, security concerns do not. On the other, the Iranians are not downplaying this.

As above, it's across all Iranian media; Senior figures railing against it. Iran will likely point to the fact it wasn't it that abrogated nuclear deal. Expect it to point to "aggressive behaviour" against it when nuke negotiations begin under Biden. Which they most surely will.

On the other side. Israelis and Gulf states will point to an Iranian program, based around guys like Fakhrizadeh, being a continuing threat.

Biden has his work cut out.

ENDS