Exclusive: Daughter of assassinated Iran nuclear scientist hopes to follow dad’s footsteps

The daughter of Iranian nuclear scientist Dariush Rezaeinejad, assassinated by terrorist elements of the Israeli regime more than a decade ago, insists that Iranians should not waver in their all-out efforts towards advancement of their country not only in the field of nuclear energy but in other areas as well. 

Armita Rezaeinejad made the remarks in an exclusive interview with Press TV on Sunday, marking the 12th anniversary of her father's terror assassination, which was openly hailed by American and other Western officials.

"Every one of us, as Iranians, should try our best to continue [my father's] path," said the young Rezaeinejad. "We should toss out all barriers to make our country superior."

Armita hailed Iran's tremendous achievements despite numerous stumbling blocks and sanctions imposed on the country by Washington and its allies over the years.

"It is really remarkable where we are standing now and I think we can achieve even more in the future," she emphasized.

Armita also recalled the hard times she and her mother endured following her father's assassination, insisting, however, that the very difficult times were worth the achievements that have been made since then despite all the US-led imposed hurdles.

"My mother has always been a big part of my life and a great supporter," she further reiterated.

On the impacts of the Western sanctions regime on the people of her country, Rezaeinejad expressed extreme disappointment over the suffering of Iranian patients who lack access to vital medicines due to the persisting US-led sanctions against Iran.

The trauma of a father's assassination

Armita also talked about the day his father was martyred and how traumatic it was. "It was really terrifying and I was confused at first but then gradually I started to realize what had happened. It was really hard to believe."

I am proud of my father since he served his country well, Rezaeinejad further stressed, expressing optimism that she would follow her father's footsteps in serving Iran.

Iranian martyr’s teenage daughter gives IAEA chief lesson in nuclear diplomacy

The young daughter of the slain Iranian nuclear scientist in a powerful speech drew the attention of the IAEA chief to the devastating impact of US sanctions on Iranian patients struggling with life-threatening diseases.

Dariush Rezaeinejad was shot five times in front of his wife and daughter by motorcycle-borne terrorists hired by the ominous Israeli spy agency Mossad outside his daughter’s nursery school. His wife was wounded in the terror operation.

He was the fourth Iranian nuclear scientist to be assassinated in a span of four years, starting with Ardeshir Hosseinpour on January 15, 2007, Massoud Alimohammadi on January 12, 2010, and Majid Shahriari on November 29, 2010.

Fereydoun Abbasi, who later went on to head the country's nuclear agency, had a lucky escape in front of the Shahid Beheshti University in north Tehran the same day Shahriari was assassinated.

Rezainejad's assassination was followed by that of Mostafa Ahmadi Roshan on January 11, 2012, which marked the second martyrdom anniversary of his former colleague Alimohammadi.

More recently, Mohsen Fakhrizaden was assassinated on November 27, 2020 on the outskirts of Tehran.

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