Iranian IRGC senior missile engineer killed

An Iranian senior missile engineer died in southern Iran several days ago, according to a report by an Iranian dissident group published on Saturday night.

Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps engineer Said Thamardar Mutlak was described in alleged funeral announcements shared by the National Iranian Congress (NIC), as having been made a shahid (martyr) and murdered in Shiraz. The report stated that Iranian authorities did not wish news of the death to be published, and that Mutlak's family had been threatened not to share the news.

Did Iran hint to alleged assassination?

Unverified social media posts claimed that "the Mossad was behind the assassination of Mutlak."

"Cowardly assassination of heroes of our scientific prowess didn't help behind-the-curtain terrorists to achieve their goals," said Iranian Foreign Ministry spokesperson Nasser Kanaani on Saturday night, although it was unclear if he was responding to specific assassinations or remarking on the ongoing discussions over the JCPOA. 

"Peaceful nuclear industry of Iran owes its flourishing to [Dariush] Rezaeinejad & his fellows," he continued. "Their blood & scientific accomplishments will be safeguarded."

In July 2011, nuclear scientist Rezaeinejad was shot dead by gunmen in Tehran.

Israeli spy network caught?

On Saturday, Iranian state-owned Tasnim reported that an Israeli spy network operating in Iran was captured by IRGC intelligence. 

The network, which was in direct contact with the Mossad, planned to carry out "unprecedented acts of sabotage and terrorist operations" in Iran, the report claimed.