Message from the Minister of Science, Research and Technology to the Director-General of UNESCO Condemning the Israeli Regime’s Attacks and the Assassination of Iranian Scientists

Ms. Audrey Azoulay
Director-General of UNESCO

Dear Ms. Azoulay,

It is with profound sorrow that I wish to draw your attention to the tragic news of the assassination of Iranian scientists in terrorist acts carried out by the Israeli regime. As you may have been informed, between 13 and 16 June 2025, a series of attacks were conducted on Iranian territory in violation of international law. Regrettably, the following scientists lost their lives as a result of the Israeli regime’s ruthless and brutal actions:

1. Professor Seyed Amirhossein Faghihi, faculty member at Shahid Beheshti University
2. Professor Abdolhamid Minouchehr, faculty member at Shahid Beheshti University
3. Professor Fereydoun Abbasi-Davani, faculty member at Imam Hossein University
4. Professor Mohammad Mehdi Tehranchi, faculty member at Shahid Beheshti University and President of Islamic Azad University
5. Professor Akbar Motalebizadeh, physicist
6. Professor Ahmadreza Zolfaghari, faculty member at Shahid Beheshti University
7. Professor Saeed Borji, physicist
8. Professor Mansour Asgari, researcher in advanced technologies
9. Professor Ali Bekaee Karimi, researcher in engineering sciences
10. Professor Ali Bakouei Ketrimi, physicist
11. Dr. Majid Tajanjari, a leading pioneer in artificial intelligence
12. Engineer Mohammadreza Zakarian, a prominent artificial intelligence specialist and technology researcher

Alarmingly, these distinguished scientists were targeted in their own homes and killed alongside their innocent family members, in an act that constitutes a flagrant violation of the sanctity of civilian life and international humanitarian law.

In a cowardly act, the residential home of Dr. Masoud Shamsbakhsh, Deputy Minister of Science, Research and Technology, located in a residential complex for university professors, was deliberately destroyed in these attacks. Tragically, one of his daughters was killed, while the other sustained a severe arm injury.

Equally horrifying was the brutal attack on Engineer Mohammadreza Zakarian, a leading artificial intelligence specialist, who was killed at home alongside his wife and innocent children.

It is with profound sorrow that I must inform you that this is not the first terrorist attack against Iranian scientists. Rather, the aforementioned assassinations are the latest in a series of similar inhumane acts aimed at eliminating Iranian scientists over the past fifteen years.

As you are well aware, the right to enjoy the benefits of scientific progress is enshrined in Article 27 of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights, as well as in several other normative instruments. This right is a key concept in UNESCO’s Natural Sciences Strategy, which promotes the right to share in scientific advancement and its benefits. Furthermore, through its programme on the freedom and safety of scientists under the 2017 Recommendation on Science and Scientific Researchers, UNESCO is committed to protecting scientists.

Iran has consistently sought to become a global scientific hub. Iran’s nuclear technology achievements have also been made entirely within the framework of Article IV of the Treaty on the Non-Proliferation of Nuclear Weapons (NPT), which affirms the right of all countries to the peaceful use of nuclear energy.

Today, in view of the environmental challenges arising from excessive consumption of fossil fuels, the need to use sustainable energy sources, including nuclear energy, is greater than ever. This technology can serve as a key instrument in advancing sustainable development. International organizations, particularly UNESCO, which identifies climate change as one of its priorities, should support countries in this regard.

In light of the above, I wish to call upon UNESCO and you, Madam Director-General, as the head of this international organization dedicated to science and education, to strongly condemn the targeted killings of scientists and take an appropriate and commensurate response to this matter.

Hossein Simaei-Sarraf
Minister of Science, Research and Technology and President of the Iranian National Commission for UNESCO