The Common End of a Scientific Collaboration: Two Assassinations, One Execution
The Common End of a Scientific Collaboration: Two Assassinations, One Execution
According to IranGate News Agency, a series of mysterious and tragic events that began with a simple scientific collaboration in 2011 ended in a bloody conclusion fourteen years later.
Three Iranian nuclear scientists, who had once presented a joint paper at a scientific conference, all lost their lives in less than two months—two were killed by Israel, and the third was executed by the Islamic Republic.
This strange cycle of death once again questions the blurred boundaries between knowledge, security, and politics in Iran. Is scientific expertise in the nuclear field alone enough to get involved in intelligence and security games?
Or is what lies behind this affair something beyond an individual case? This report, by examining the backgrounds, connections, and official and unofficial narratives, is an attempt to decode one of the most complex and ambiguous cases in recent years in Iran.
Death in the Shadow of Nuclear Energy: A Mysterious Case from Scientific Collaboration to Espionage Accusation
In the final days of winter 2011, three young Iranian researchers in the field of nuclear engineering presented a specialized paper at the 18th National Nuclear Energy Conference of Iran. At that time, this collaboration was merely considered a joint scientific effort, without anyone imagining that this co-authorship would be tied to a bloody string that would end in the death of all its authors fourteen years later. Two were killed in a military attack, and the third submitted to the execution order of his own government.
Abdolhamid Minouchehr and Ahmadreza Zolfaghari Daryani, among the most prominent technical figures in Iran’s nuclear program, were directly targeted and killed on the morning of June 13, 2025, coinciding with the early hours of Israel’s military operation against Iran.
The sole survivor of this trio, Roozbeh Vadi, was executed less than two months later on August 6, 2025, on charges of espionage for Mossad—a crime whose official narrative faces serious ambiguities.
From Scientific Collaboration to Security Collaboration: Reality or Narrative?
According to the official report released by the judiciary, Roozbeh Vadi had confessed during interrogations that he had provided information related to Iran’s nuclear infrastructure and also personal information of some key scientists to the Israeli intelligence service.
Hours after the verdict was announced, the Islamic Republic of Iran Broadcasting aired a video of his confessions.
However, none of the official institutions explained under what conditions, on what date, and with what evidence these confessions were obtained.
The Iranian Human Rights Organization had announced that Vadi had been in detention since the winter of 2024, but until the moment of his execution, no official information regarding his arrest, trial, or defense attorney had been released.
The prolonged silence about his status is reminiscent of similar cases in security dealings with defendants in sensitive cases, which often occur under complete confidentiality.
Three Parallel Paths, One Endpoint
Roozbeh Vadi’s scientific life began with a focus on nuclear engineering at Zanjan University and took on a more serious form upon entering Shahid Beheshti University, particularly in the field of reactor design.
His years of study coincided with the critical period of Iran’s nuclear program as well as multiple assassinations of nuclear scientists, including the assassination of Majid Shahriari and the unsuccessful attempt on Fereydoun Abbasi in December 2010.
In this perilous environment, Vadi decided to continue his path. In 2010, he entered the doctoral program in nuclear engineering at Amirkabir University of Technology and defended his dissertation in 2016.
His scientific collaborations mainly formed with renowned professors such as Kamran Sepanlou and Abdolhamid Minouchehr.
These collaborations focused on areas such as flow analysis in centrifugal systems, reactor design, and nuclear safety.
His two other colleagues in the 2011 paper, Minouchehr and Zolfaghari, later became heads of the Faculty of Nuclear Engineering at Shahid Beheshti University.
Their key role in formulating academic and research policies in nuclear studies placed them at the center of attention for domestic and foreign security agencies.
The Nuclear Safety System Center: An Important Institution or an Intelligence Bottleneck?
After completing his doctorate, Roozbeh Vadi worked as a senior expert at Iran’s Nuclear Safety System Center (INRA), an institution responsible for reviewing, supervising, and approving the safety standards of the country’s nuclear plants and facilities.
This center also collaborates with the International Atomic Energy Agency in updating safety regulations and frameworks.
In other words, working at INRA not only allowed Vadi access to sensitive technical data but also placed him in a position subject to dual security oversight from both domestic and foreign entities.
The judiciary report claimed that he had communicated with Mossad agents through a social network and then transferred information during five face-to-face meetings on trips to Vienna.
However, it is unclear how such activity remained hidden from intelligence agencies under the strict oversight and security framework of Iran’s nuclear sector.
The History of Targeted Assassinations: Politics or Deterrence?
The targeted killings of Iranian nuclear scientists have a long history. From 2009 to 2011, figures such as Massoud Ali-Mohammadi, Mostafa Ahmadi Roshan, Dariush Rezaeinejad, and Majid Shahriari were targeted.
Ronen Bergman, in his book ‘Rise and Kill First,’ explicitly refers to these assassinations as part of Mossad’s destructive strategy to prevent the advancement of Iran’s nuclear program—a strategy designed under the supervision of Meir Dagan, the then-head of Mossad.
During the 12-day war between Iran and Israel in 2025, which began with attacks on strategic facilities and nuclear centers, more than 11 specialists and academic figures related to Iran’s nuclear program lost their lives. At the same time, concerns about security and intelligence infiltration at the highest levels of Iran’s government peaked.
Summary: Where is the Boundary Between Knowledge and Security?
The case of Roozbeh Vadi, beyond an individual case, represents a deep gap between the realm of knowledge and the security structure in Iran.
He was a symbol of a generation of scientists who grew up during the peak of Iran’s nuclear crisis and became entangled in the tense security atmosphere among scientific ideals, academic relationships, and intelligence mechanisms.
While the official narrative speaks of betrayal and espionage, many fundamental questions about the case details, the trial process, information transparency, and how security agencies interact with the scientific community remain unanswered. What is clear is that at the intersection of science and security, sometimes the cost of knowledge is life.