A leading Iranian nuclear scientist killed in the unprecedented strikes by Israel had bragged just weeks ago that he wasn’t worried about being assassinated — and would happily build nukes if asked.
Fereydoon Abbasi, a former head of the Atomic Energy Organization of Iran who survived a previous assassination attempt in 2010, was among several military leaders and scientists killed overnight as Israel struck the nation’s terrifying nuclear program sites, Iran officials confirmed.
In an interview last month, the scientist shrugged off a question about fears of being assassinated.
Fereydoon Abbasi, killed in the airstrikes, said that if Iran asked him to build weapons, “I would do it.” MEMRI
“What are we supposed to do about it?” he asked dismissively, saying his work on the nuclear program would live on with younger generations.
Abbasi, a hardliner who also served as a member of parliament from 2020 to 2024, also said he would happily help build weapons if asked.
“So far, we have not received orders to build [a nuclear bomb]. If they tell me to build it, I will do it,” he told Iran outlet SNN, the Middle East Media Research Institute reported.
Israel wipes out top Iranian leaders and nuclear scientists in unprecedented attack
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Abbasi, a hardliner who also served as a member of parliament from 2020 to 2024, also said he would happily help build weapons if asked.
“So far, we have not received orders to build [a nuclear bomb]. If they tell me to build it, I will do it,” he told Iran outlet SNN, the Middle East Media Research Institute reported.
Israel wipes out top Iranian leaders and nuclear scientists in unprecedented attack
A firefighter works amidst the rubble of a destroyed building in Tehran.Morteza Nikoubazl/NurPhoto/Shutterstock
“It is a mistake to set a time frame, whether six months, a month, a year, or a day,” he said about the timeline for building a nuclear weapon.
“Once the decision is made, you will need to make some small changes. If you work with uranium, you will need 90% enriched uranium. This level of enrichment can be achieved by laser, by electromagnetism, or by centrifuges.”
If Iran’s nuclear infrastructure were destroyed, Abbasi said “nothing would happen.”
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First-responders gather outside a that was hit by an Israeli strike in Tehran on June 13, 2025.TASNIM NEWS/AFP via Getty Images
“Our capabilities are spread all over the country,” he said. “If they target the production sites, it will be inconsequential to our timetable.”
