Pompeo likely had discussed the scientist assassination with Netanyahu: Journalist

US Secretary of State Mike Pompeo very likely had discussed the assassination of Iranian nuclear scientist Mohsen Fakhrizadeh with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu during his recent visit to Israel, according to Patrick Lawrence, an American political analyst and foreign affairs journalist.

Fakhrizadeh was assassinated in a small city east of the capital Tehran in an ambush attack on his vehicle involving an explosion and machine gun fire on Friday.

Fakhrizadeh’s death came two years after Netanyahu, during an erroneous presentation about Iran's nuclear activities, warned the world to “remember that name.”

Iranian Foreign Minister Mohammad Javad Zarif has said there were “serious indications” that the Israeli regime was responsible for the assassination.

One American official and two other intelligence officials confirmed to the New York Times that Israel was behind the attack.

Following the assassination, the US military has moved the USS Nimitz aircraft carrier back into the Persian Gulf along with other warships.

A military official told the CNN on Friday that the deployment was meant to provide “combat support and air cover” for American troops withdrawing from Iraq and Afghanistan by January 15 before President Donald Trump leaves office.

Former CIA head John Brennan has denounced the state-sponsored killing of the scientist as a "criminal" act.

He described the assassination as a crime that risked to inflame regional conflict in the Middle East.

Sanders slams 'reckless, illegal' killing of Iranian scientist

Senior US Senator Bernie Sanders says the assassination of Iranian scientist Mohsen Fakhrizadeh was an "illegal" move aimed at undermining possible talks between Iran and the incoming US administration.

“The first thing we need to ask is what the US administration knew about this beforehand. My own surmise is that Secretary of State Pompeo who recently paid a visit to Prime Minister Netanyahu -- very likely, we can only go that far -- very likely discussed this. It fits with Pompeo's plans to provoke conflict. It certainly fits with Netanyahu's,” Lawrence said.  

“Bernie Sanders made an interesting remark quite accurate but we need to understand that Bernie Sanders is now Senator Sanders again and I don't think it's of great consequence,” he added. 

“My own core thought is this: We are, we are now being told that this may ruin President-elect Biden's chances for diplomacy with Iran. I don't agree with that at all. The first point is how would this ruin it. I don't understand the reasoning there. If you ask me if President-elect Biden is committed to diplomacy with Tehran this should encourage him all the more to get moving,” he stated.

“My second point is maybe more salient. I question whether President-elect Biden ever intended to revive the Iran nuclear pact because he's very close to Israel. Israel has made its wishes plain,” he added.  

“And I think it's very questionable whether this regrettable incident has ruined Biden's chances for diplomacy. I questioned whether he was serious about it in the first place. And this incident gives him cover not to pursue it,” he noted.

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