Three Intelligence Agencies 'Transported an Iranian Nuclear Scientist to Britain by Inflatable Boat'

Two British newspapers claimed on Sunday, February 10, that the intelligence agencies of Israel, Britain, and the United States conducted a joint operation to transport an 'Iranian nuclear scientist' to Britain by inflatable boat. The 'Daily Mail' and 'Sunday Express' reported that British intelligence officials utilized the recent wave of refugees seeking to reach Britain to bring this Iranian into the country. These newspapers published their reports citing a 'British intelligence source,' but did not disclose the name of the source or the name of the Iranian individual who fled Iran. The two newspapers also noted that this 47-year-old individual claimed to have 'helped kill Mostafa Ahmadi Roshan.' Mostafa Ahmadi Roshan, a chemical engineer specializing in polymers, was the deputy for commercial affairs at Iran's Natanz nuclear site. Ahmadi Roshan, who was 32 years old, was assassinated on January 21, 2012, when a motorcyclist attached a magnetic bomb to his car as he was leaving his home in Gol Nabi Street or Ketabi Square in Tehran. British media have claimed that this Iranian involved in the assassination of Mostafa Ahmadi Roshan first went to Turkey, then to France, and later entered Britain by inflatable boat along with a group of refugees on New Year's Eve 2019. The 'intelligence source' cited by the Daily Mail and Sunday Express stated that the method of transporting this individual to Britain after arriving in France was also 'not without challenges' because he could not simply be brought by plane, and due to this unusual situation, it was decided that he would accompany a group of refugees arriving by boat to Britain. In the final days of 2018 and on New Year's Eve 2019, the arrival of dozens of Iranian refugees by inflatable boat from the English Channel to British soil became a top news story in Europe, and Sajid Javid, the British Home Secretary, even canceled his holiday to personally monitor the situation. According to British media reports, truck drivers on New Year's Day informed coastal authorities in the Kent area that they had seen a boat entering the waters of the Dover area. Mr. Javid himself stated in a statement that he had taken 'personal' responsibility for investigating and addressing this matter and was receiving the latest updates from relevant agencies. The British Home Secretary added that he was in discussions with his French counterpart regarding this issue. The Sunday Express reported that it was with the arrival of a boat carrying 12 refugees in the Dover area that British intelligence officials gained access to this individual. If the reports from British media are correct, it raises the possibility that the unusual presence of the British Home Secretary in his ministry at the beginning of 2019, and the sudden transformation of the arrival of several Iranian refugees in Britain into a hot political and media issue in Europe, may be related to the potential arrival of this Iranian individual connected to Iran's nuclear program in Britain. These reports claim that the extraction of this individual from Iran began in October, four months prior, as he himself feared being discovered. The Sunday Express, citing its 'source,' claimed that Iranian agencies 'noticed this individual's absence and activated a unit of the Revolutionary Guards to track him down.' Although these reports do not specify where Iranian intelligence agencies were searching for this individual, it is possible that they were looking for him in Turkey after his escape. According to the Sunday Express, unlike the United States, which has exited the nuclear agreement with Iran, Britain is still part of the JCPOA, and therefore the intelligence leaders of this country did not want to be portrayed as aiding an individual involved in Iran's nuclear program to reach Britain, although MI6 and the CIA were interested in interviewing him to gain more insight into Iran's nuclear program. These reports have referred to the individual in question with conflicting titles ranging from 'technician' and 'engineer' to 'nuclear scientist,' stating that he has now gone to the United States. Iranian officials have not responded to claims regarding the escape of an individual connected to their nuclear program. The governments of Turkey, France, Britain, and Israel, which are mentioned in these reports, have also not confirmed these claims. Iran has always attributed the killings of Mostafa Ahmadi Roshan and several other activists and experts in its nuclear program to Mossad, the Israeli intelligence agency, but it seems that the assassination of these individuals could not have been carried out without the cooperation of elements within Iran. Prior to Mostafa Ahmadi Roshan, Massoud Ali-Mohammadi was assassinated in January 2010, Majid Shahriari in December 2010, and Dariush Rezaei-Najad in August 2011. Reza Qashqai, Mostafa Ahmadi Roshan's driver, was also severely injured during the assassination and later died. On the other hand, the Iranian Ministry of Intelligence emphasized shortly after the assassination of Mostafa Ahmadi Roshan that it had identified the 'main elements' behind his assassination and his driver's and had quickly arrested them during operations in various locations. However, there were no further reports regarding the names and trials of these individuals. Iran executed Masoud Jamali Fashi, a martial arts athlete, for the assassination of Massoud Ali-Mohammadi in May 2012. Masoud Jamali Fashi, who had been arrested a month before the assassination of Mostafa Ahmadi Roshan, claimed in his televised 'confessions' in Iran that he had received necessary training in Israel. Israel has officially remained silent regarding these assassinations. Ronen Bergman, an Israeli intelligence reporter, mentioned some assassinations, including that of Ahmadi Roshan, in a book titled 'Rise and Kill First' about the activities of Mossad.