Secretary of Supreme National Security Council (SNSC) said that enemies had sought to assassinate scientist Mohsen Fakhrizadeh for the past 20 years.�

Speaking on the sidelines of funeral ceremony of Iranian nuclear and defense scientist martyr Mohsen Fakhrizadeh on Monday, Rear Admiral Ali Shamkhani added that intelligence services had received information that Martyr Fakhrizadeh was being targeted by a terrorist act and where they were to carry out their operations.

It was for 20 years that enemies of the country were after assassinating martyr �Fakhrizadeh� but they failed to realize their malicious objectives, he said, adding, �It is a matter of regret to say that necessary seriousness was not taken into consideration during these twenty years and finally, terrorists managed to realize their heinous objective and assassinated the prominent Iranian scientist brutally.�

Necessary improvements had been made for his protection team, but this time, enemy used a completely new, professional and specialized style, he said, adding, �Unfortunately, they (terrorists) managed to realize their malicious objectives and assassinated him after 20 years.�

Elsewhere in his remarks, secretary of Supreme National Security Council pointed to the salient achievements and giant works taken by Marty Fakhrizadeh both in nuclear and defense systems as well as moves taken in the fight against the novel coronavirus, COVID-19 and added, �Enemies of the country should know that they cannot stop Iran from progressing technologically and scientifically in a way that all their conspiracies waged against the country would be foiled.�

Fakhrizadeh was targeted on Friday in a multi-pronged attack involving at least one explosion and small fire by a number of assailants in Absard city of Damavand County, Tehran province.

According to the Public Relations Office of the Ministry of Defense, the prominent physicist, who headed its Organization of Defensive Innovation and Research (SPND), was sent to hospital immediately but was martyred due to the wounds he had sustained in the terrorist assault.

During the conflict, the security team protecting Iranian scientist were also injured and transferred to hospital.