World must not remain silent in face of state terrorism: Iran first VP

Iran’s first vice president says the world and international organizations should not remain silent in the face of state-sponsored terrorism, stressing that they need to prevent acts of violence by condemning them.

Es’haq Jahangiri made the remarks while addressing the 19th meeting of the Council of Heads of Government of Member States of the Shanghai Cooperation Organization (SCO) through video conference on Monday as he reflected on the recent assassination of Iran’s senior nuclear scientist Mohsen Fakhrizadeh.

“We expect international and regional organizations as well as governments not to remain silent in the face of state terrorism and prevent repetition of such inhumane acts by condemning them,” Iran’s first vice president said.

He, however, emphasized, “Of course, Iran will give a firm and calculated response to this inhumane crime in due time.”

Fakhrizadeh, the head of the Iranian Defense Ministry’s Organization of Defensive Innovation and Research, was targeted in a multi-pronged terrorist attack by a number of assailants in Absard city of Tehran Province’s Damavand County on Friday.

Iranian government officials and military commanders have hinted that the Israeli regime could have been behind the terror attack, vowing harsh revenge against all the criminals involved.

Iran’s Intelligence Minister Mahmoud Alavi said earlier on Monday that the country’s security forces had found a lot of new leads on the recent assassination of the senior Iranian scientist.

Many leads found on assassination of Iran nuclear scientist: Intelligence minister

The Iranian intelligence minister says the country’s security forces have found many new leads on the senior Iranian nuclear scientist

Speaking during the funeral procession of Fakhrizadeh in northern Tehran, Alavi said Iranian security forces started their all-out efforts since the physicist's assassination and succeeded in finding many clues by fully investigating all aspects of the terror attack.

Iran’s Foreign Minister Mohammad Javad Zarif also on Sunday urged the international community to give up its double standards in dealing with terrorism and condemn all forms of state-sponsored acts of terror.

World must abandon double standards, condemn state terror: Iran foreign minister

“Iran calls on the world community including the EU to abandon the double standard and condemn this state terrorism.”

In a French tweet, Zarif emphasized that the recent assassination of Fakhrizadeh bears the clear hallmark of atrocities committed by the Israeli regime.

Elsewhere in his speech, Jahangiri said, "Despite Iran's effective cooperation with countries grappling with the Daesh terrorist group, particularly the Iraqi and Syrian governments, which led to the collapse of one of the most dangerous terrorist threats in the world, Iran itself is currently target of state terrorism."

He emphasized that Washington’s assassination of top Iranian anti-terror commander Lieutenant General Qassem Soleimani in Iraq early this year and the recent murder of Fakhrizadeh are clear examples of state terrorism against the Islamic Republic.

US terrorists assassinated General Soleimani, the commander of the Quds Force of the Islamic Revolution Guards Corps (IRGC), along with Abu Mahdi al-Muhandis, deputy head of Iraq’s Hashd al-Sha’abi, and their companions by targeting their vehicle outside Baghdad International Airport on January 3.

Gen. Soleimani's assassination, US biggest gift to Takfiri terrorism: Top Iran security official

Iran

The cowardly act of terror was carried out under the direction of US President Donald Trump, with the Pentagon taking responsibility for the strike.

General Soleimani is viewed by the world's freedom-seeking people as the key figure in defeating Daesh, the world’s most notorious terrorist group, in the Middle East battles.

Read more:

• EU condemns assassination of senior Iranian nuclear scientist as ‘criminal act’
• Weapon used in nuclear scientist's assassination made in Israel: Source tells Press TV
• Iran to give 'calculated', 'firm' response to scientist’s assassination: Senior official

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