Iran Says AI, Satellite-controlled Gun Killed Top Nuclear Scientist

In this picture released by the Iranian Defense Ministry and taken on Nov. 28, 2020, caretakers carry the flag-draped coffin of Mohsen Fakhrizadeh during a funeral ceremony in Mashhad, Iran. (AP)
In this picture released by the Iranian Defense Ministry and taken on Nov. 28, 2020, caretakers carry the flag-draped coffin of Mohsen Fakhrizadeh during a funeral ceremony in Mashhad, Iran. (AP)
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Iran Says AI, Satellite-controlled Gun Killed Top Nuclear Scientist

In this picture released by the Iranian Defense Ministry and taken on Nov. 28, 2020, caretakers carry the flag-draped coffin of Mohsen Fakhrizadeh during a funeral ceremony in Mashhad, Iran. (AP)
In this picture released by the Iranian Defense Ministry and taken on Nov. 28, 2020, caretakers carry the flag-draped coffin of Mohsen Fakhrizadeh during a funeral ceremony in Mashhad, Iran. (AP)

Iran's Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) revealed that artificial intelligence and satellite-controlled gun was used to kill nuclear scientist Mohsen Fakhrizadeh.

IRGC Deputy Commander Rear Admiral Ali Fadavi said that 13 bullets were fired and one of them targeted Fakhrizadeh's back, injuring his spinal cord.

The top scientist's convoy was attacked on November 27 while traveling through Damavand province, east of Tehran.

Speaking during the National Student Day ceremony at the University of Tehran, Fadavi explained that 11 IRGC servicemen were accompanying the late scientist, adding that the Nissan car exploded at the scene aiming to eliminate the protection.

No hitman was present at the scene, he noted, saying a machine gun equipped with a “satellite-controlled smart system” and installed on a pickup fired the 13 shots, while all the other bullets were fired by the security guards.

The system controlling the machine gun zoomed in on Fakhrizadeh's face, while the head of the security team had been shot after shielding Fakhrizadeh. His wife, who was only "25 centimeters away", was unharmed.

Asked about Iran’s response to the assassination of General Qassem Soleimani in early January, the deputy chief said, “We will choose how to take revenge.”

He indicated that the country has been at war with the US since 1986, saying that Washington was unable to achieve any victory ever since.

Fadavi noted that the US wanted to deter Iran, however, its responses were weak and it never assumed responsibility for any attack, adding that the US President was the first to do so.

In response to a question on IRGC's suggestions to avenge Soleimani's death which were all rejected by the government, Fadavi asserted that the Corps does not follow the cabinet's policies, but rather the orders of the Commander in Chief of the Armed Forces.

Iran accuses the Israeli Mossad and the exiled Mujahedin Khalq of carrying out a complicated operation using a “completely new” assassination method to kill the nuclear scientist.



Ukraine Says It Will Work with US Towards Mutually Acceptable Minerals Deal

Ukrainian Foreign Minister Andrii Sybiha attends a joint press conference after a meeting with Lithuanian Foreign Minister Kestutis Budrys (not pictured) in Kyiv, Ukraine, 01 April 2025. (EPA)
Ukrainian Foreign Minister Andrii Sybiha attends a joint press conference after a meeting with Lithuanian Foreign Minister Kestutis Budrys (not pictured) in Kyiv, Ukraine, 01 April 2025. (EPA)
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Ukraine Says It Will Work with US Towards Mutually Acceptable Minerals Deal

Ukrainian Foreign Minister Andrii Sybiha attends a joint press conference after a meeting with Lithuanian Foreign Minister Kestutis Budrys (not pictured) in Kyiv, Ukraine, 01 April 2025. (EPA)
Ukrainian Foreign Minister Andrii Sybiha attends a joint press conference after a meeting with Lithuanian Foreign Minister Kestutis Budrys (not pictured) in Kyiv, Ukraine, 01 April 2025. (EPA)

Ukraine will work with the United States towards a mutually acceptable text of a minerals deal that the two countries can sign, Ukrainian Foreign Minister Andrii Sybiha said on Tuesday.

Sybiha told a press conference that one round of consultations had already taken place on a new draft of the minerals deal and that an agreement providing for a strong American business presence in Ukraine would contribute to his country's security infrastructure.

"This process will continue and we will work with our American colleagues to reach a mutually acceptable text for signing," Sybiha said.

The statement came after US President Donald Trump said on Sunday that Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskiy wants to back out of the deal, warning that the Ukrainian leader would face big problems if he did.

Washington proposed an expanded minerals deal to Kyiv after the two sides failed to sign the framework deal during Zelenskiy's visit to the US in late February which ended with Trump berating him in the Oval Office.

The revised proposal would require Kyiv to send Washington all profit from a fund controlling Ukrainian resources until Ukraine had repaid all American wartime aid, plus interest, according to a summary reviewed by Reuters.

Zelenskiy said on Friday that Ukraine would not accept any mineral rights deal that threatened its integration with the EU, but that it was too early to pass judgment on the revised deal.