Killing will not stop nuclear 'progress': Iran

The bomb assassination of an Iranian atomic scientist on Wednesday will not stop "progress" in Iran's nuclear programme, Vice President Mohammad Reza Rahimi told state television.

"Today (Wednesday) those who claim to be combatting terrorism have targeted Iranian scientists. They should know that Iranian scientists are more determined than ever in striding towards Iran's progress," he said.

He called Wednesday's killing of Mostafa Ahmadi Roshan, a deputy director of Iran's Natanz uranium enrichment facility, "evidence of (foreign) government-sponsored terrorism."

Another official, Tehran province's deputy governor Safar Ali Bratloo, earlier blamed the bombing on Israel, noting similarities with attacks that killed three other Iranian scientists over the past two years.

Ahmadi Roshan, 32, died when two unidentified men on a motorbike attached a magnetic bomb to the car he was travelling in, according to Iranian media. Two other occupants, including his bodyguard/driver, were wounded.

Follow Emirates 24|7 on Google News.