Iran Confirms Nuclear Scientist’s Death Days After Ceasefire
Iran’s Mehr News Agency reported Soleiman Soleimani was killed in an Israeli strike days after the ceasefire, raising the toll of slain Iranian nuclear scientists to 15. Tehran accuses Israel of a systematic assassination campaign.
By Kamaran Aziz
ERBIL (Kurdistan 24) — Iran University of Science and Technology on Friday announced the death of one of its alumni, Engineer Soleiman Soleimani, in what it described as a “brutal attack” carried out by Israel. The university's statement, reported by Iran’s Mehr News Agency, characterized the killing as part of a broader campaign by the Israeli military targeting Iranian nuclear scientists during the ongoing "12-day war" between Iran and Israel.
“We extend our congratulations and condolences to the honorable family of the late Mr. Engineer Soleiman Soleimani, a graduate of Chemical Engineering from Iran University of Science and Technology, on his martyrdom in the brutal attacks by the criminal Zionist regime, as well as to all students, professors, and staff of the university,” the statement read.
This announcement follows earlier reports from Iranian state media on June 21 confirming the death of Ithar Tabatabaei Ghomshe, a prominent Iranian nuclear scientist, who was reportedly killed along with his wife in an Israeli missile strike on their residence.
According to Mehr News Agency, Ghomshe’s death marked the 14th assassination of an Iranian nuclear scientist since the outbreak of the Iran-Israel war on June 13, 2025. With the death of Soleimani, the toll has now risen to 15.
The war began with Israel launching a massive aerial campaign involving over 200 fighter jets targeting military and nuclear facilities in Tehran and across Iran. The initial strikes reportedly killed several senior Iranian military officials and nuclear experts.
The conflict quickly escalated, with Iran responding by launching daily missile and drone attacks on Tel Aviv and other locations within Israel. The Israeli Defense Forces (IDF) retaliated with continued airstrikes, focusing on Iranian military infrastructure, weapons depots, and individuals linked to Iran’s nuclear program.
Israeli Foreign Minister Gideon Sa’ar confirmed the targeted killings, defending them as a strategic imperative.
“The assassinated nuclear scientists had been working on Iran’s nuclear weapons program under the current regime,” Sa’ar said. He further stated that the campaign has been “highly successful,” claiming it has delayed Iran’s nuclear weapons development by two to three years.
The United States was also drawn into the conflict, conducting airstrikes on three major Iranian nuclear sites—Fordow, Natanz, and Isfahan—using B-2 stealth bombers. U.S. President Donald Trump described the operation as a “total obliteration” of Iran’s nuclear capability.
In retaliation, Iran launched missile strikes on the U.S. military base at al-Udeid in Qatar last Tuesday.
The 12-day war came to a halt shortly thereafter, following a U.S.-brokered ceasefire negotiated by President Trump.
