Strongly condemning the killing of Massoud Mohammadi, ministry spokesman Ramin Mehman-Parast said the participation of Israeli and American agents "runs counter to international regulations," Press TV reported.
Mehman-Parast said such actions would not affect Iran's nuclear program, emphasizing such "terrorist moves and apparent omission of Iranian nuclear scientists will definitely cause no obstacle in the way of the country's scientific and technological development. Rather they will speed up it."
News agencies reported conflicting accounts of the death. Fars News Agency said the bomb was placed in a garbage can outside the professor's house. Press TV said the bomb was placed inside a motorbike parked outside his house in the Qeytariyeh neighborhood in northern Tehran and was remotely detonated.
Not long after the killing, Iranian media were reporting a claim of responsibility from the Royal Association of Iran, which Press TV characterized as an "obscure monarchist group that seeks to reestablish the Pahlavi reign in Iran," a reference to the Shah of Iran's regime toppled in 1979.
After the monarchy was overthrown, Ayatollah Khomeini seized power declaring Iran an Islamic Republic with himself as supreme leader.
Press TV said the Royal Assocation of Iran is headed by Foroud Fouladvand, and is responsible for a deadly bombing in the southern city of Shiraz in April 2008 that killed 13 people and wounded hundreds more.
Fars reported that "members of this association had infiltrated into the country and had been active in the post-election riots of last June and played a part in setting public property on fire and inciting people to riot.
"It had been established during trials (of some of the members of this association) that they were in charge of showing people how to make Molotov cocktails and setting public places on fire."
Tehran's Prosecutor Abbas Jafari-Dolatabadi said Mohammadi taught neutron nuclear physics at Tehran University, Press TV reported, and the network said Mohammadi was a staunch supporter of the Islamic Revolution.
Head of the Science Complex of the University of Tehran Ali Moqari told Mehr News Agency Tuesday that Mohammadi "was a prominent international figure, but had not been involved in any political activities." He said the professor was prominent in his field and had written books.
According to Fars, the Royal Association's statement said Mohammadi played "an active role during the recent disturbances in Tehran, dresses as a plainclothesman," a common reference to police and others working with security forces to quell riots.
"We declare with pride that we are Mohareb (those who wage war against God), yes, we are Mohareb," the association said, according to Fars.
Grass-roots outrage has swept Iran over the disputed presidential elections in June, when incumbent Mahmoud Ahmadinejad won a second term. Hundreds of thousands of Iranians took to the streets to demonstrate against the official result, and that prompted a forceful and sometimes deadly government crackdown.
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