News / Foreign Policy

Ex-CIA chief slams Cruz over Iran assassination remarks

Saturday, 28 November 2020 6:09 PM [ Last Update: Saturday, 28 November 2020 6:09 PM ]

Former CIA director John Brennan

Former CIA head John Brennan has blasted Texas Sen. Ted Cruz over the assassination of a prominent Iranian scientist, describing the state-sponsored killing of a scientist as a "criminal" act.

Iran’s top nuclear scientist, Mohsen Fakhrizadeh, was assassinated outside the Iranian capital Tehran on Friday.

Prominent Iranian physicist assassinated near Tehran

Prominent Iranian physicist Mohsen Fakhrizadeh is assassinated in a terrorist attack near Tehran, the Defense Ministry says.

The former head of the US Central Intelligence Agency described the assassination of a top Iranian nuclear scientist on Friday as a crime that risked to inflame regional conflict in the Middle East.

“This was a criminal act & highly reckless. It risks lethal retaliation & a new round of regional conflict. Iranian leaders would be wise to wait for the return of responsible American leadership on the global stage & to resist the urge to respond against perceived culprits,” tweeted Brennan, who ran the CIA under President Barack Obama from 2013-2017.

Israel has been blamed as the culprit behind the terrorist attack.

Iran will respond to scientist’s assassination in due time: Rouhani

Iran’s President Hassan Rouhani warns of a plot hatched by Israel to incite chaos in the region, vowing that Tehran will at the proper time respond to the assassination of its prominent nuclear scientist.

Brennan said he didn’t know whether a foreign government authorized or carried out the assassination of Fakhrizadeh, but said, “Such an act of state-sponsored terrorism would be a flagrant violation of international law & encourage more governments to carry out lethal attacks against foreign officials.”

The former head of the CIA also went on to slam Cruz for claiming Brennan was close to Democrats and had consistently sided with Iranians who chanted "Death to America.”

Brennan said the Texan senator was unruly and naive.

“It is typical for you to mischaracterize my comment,” Brennan responded to Cruz.

Brennan added that the Texan senator had a “lawless attitude & simple-minded approach to serious national security matters.”

The former head of the CIA said his 33-year public service, during both Republican and Democratic governments, proved that he had consistently pursued Washington's anti-Iran, pro-Israel foreign policy.

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