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.



France Accuses Iran of ‘Repression’ in Sentence for Nobel Laureate

People cross an intersection in downtown Tehran, Iran, Monday, Feb. 9, 2026. (AP)
People cross an intersection in downtown Tehran, Iran, Monday, Feb. 9, 2026. (AP)
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France Accuses Iran of ‘Repression’ in Sentence for Nobel Laureate

People cross an intersection in downtown Tehran, Iran, Monday, Feb. 9, 2026. (AP)
People cross an intersection in downtown Tehran, Iran, Monday, Feb. 9, 2026. (AP)

France accused Iran on Monday of "repression and intimidation" after a court handed Nobel Peace Prize laureate Narges Mohammadi a new six-year prison sentence on charges of harming national security.

Mohammadi, sentenced Saturday, was also handed a one-and-a-half-year prison sentence for "propaganda" against Iran's system, according to her foundation.

"With this sentence, the Iranian regime has, once again, chosen repression and intimidation," the French foreign ministry said in a statement, describing the 53-year-old as a "tireless defender" of human rights.

Paris is calling for the release of the activist, who was arrested before protests erupted nationwide in December after speaking out against the government at a funeral ceremony.

The movement peaked in January as authorities launched a crackdown that activists say has left thousands dead.

Over the past quarter-century, Mohammadi has been repeatedly tried and jailed for her vocal campaigning against Iran's use of capital punishment and the mandatory dress code for women.

Mohammadi has spent much of the past decade behind bars and has not seen her twin children, who live in Paris, since 2015.

Iranian authorities have arrested more than 50,000 people as part of their crackdown on protests, according to US-based Human Rights Activists News Agency (HRANA).


Iran's Supreme Leader Urges Iranians to Show 'Resolve' against Foreign Pressure

Iran's supreme leader Ali Khamenei on (File Photo/Supreme Leader's website).
Iran's supreme leader Ali Khamenei on (File Photo/Supreme Leader's website).
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Iran's Supreme Leader Urges Iranians to Show 'Resolve' against Foreign Pressure

Iran's supreme leader Ali Khamenei on (File Photo/Supreme Leader's website).
Iran's supreme leader Ali Khamenei on (File Photo/Supreme Leader's website).

Iran's supreme leader Ali Khamenei on Monday called on his compatriots to show "resolve" ahead of the anniversary of the 1979 Islamic revolution this week.

Since the revolution, "foreign powers have always sought to restore the previous situation", Ali Khamenei said, referring to the period when Iran was under the rule of shah Reza Pahlavi and dependent on the United States, AFP reported.

"National power is less about missiles and aircraft and more about the will and steadfastness of the people," the leader said, adding: "Show it again and frustrate the enemy."


UK PM's Communications Director Quits

British Prime Minister Keir Starmer delivers a speech at Horntye Park Sports Complex in St Leonards, Britain, February 05, 2026. Peter Nicholls/Pool via REUTERS
British Prime Minister Keir Starmer delivers a speech at Horntye Park Sports Complex in St Leonards, Britain, February 05, 2026. Peter Nicholls/Pool via REUTERS
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UK PM's Communications Director Quits

British Prime Minister Keir Starmer delivers a speech at Horntye Park Sports Complex in St Leonards, Britain, February 05, 2026. Peter Nicholls/Pool via REUTERS
British Prime Minister Keir Starmer delivers a speech at Horntye Park Sports Complex in St Leonards, Britain, February 05, 2026. Peter Nicholls/Pool via REUTERS

British Prime Minister Keir Starmer's director of communications Tim Allan resigned on Monday, a day after Starmer's top aide Morgan McSweeney quit over his role in backing Peter Mandelson over his known links to Jeffrey Epstein.

The loss of two senior aides ⁠in quick succession comes as Starmer tries to draw a line under the crisis in his government resulting from his appointment of Mandelson as ambassador to the ⁠US.

"I have decided to stand down to allow a new No10 team to be built. I wish the PM and his team every success," Allan said in a statement on Monday.

Allan served as an adviser to Tony Blair from ⁠1992 to 1998 and went on to found and lead one of the country’s foremost public affairs consultancies in 2001. In September 2025, he was appointed executive director of communications at Downing Street.