Mohammad Mokhber, an aide to the Leader of the Islamic Revolution, conveyed Ayatollah Seyyed Ali Khamenei’s message of condolence to the family of the martyred nuclear scientist Fereydoun Abbasi.

In February 1979, after demonstrators briefly attacked the US embassy in Tehran, preparing to leave the country an American declared: “We used to run this country. Now we don’t even run our own embassy”.”

Iran's defense ministry said the top scientist was seriously wounded after attackers targeted his car and exchanged fire with his bodyguards in Absard, to the east of capital Tehran. Fakhrizadeh later died from his injuries in hospital.