Iranian nuclear scientist Mostafa Ahmadi Roshan was killed Wednesday by a bomb attached to his car by a passing bicyclist.
In a letter to the U.N. Secretary General, Iran's Ambassador Mohammad Khazaee called on the U.N. to condemn the killing and two earlier attacks that left two nuclear scientists dead and another seriously injured, in the strongest terms.
"There is firm evidence that certain foreign quarters are behind such assassinations. As has been claimed by these circles, such terrorist acts have been carried out as part of the efforts to disrupt Iran's peaceful nuclear program, under the false assumption that diplomacy alone would not be enough for that purpose," the letter read in part.
Wednesday's attack came almost two months after an unexplained explosion at an Iranian missile base killed a top general and 16 other people. In 2010, the release of a malicious computer virus known at Stuxnet disrupted controls of some centrifuges — a component in nuclear fuel production.
Secretary of State Hillary Rodham Clinton denied any U.S. role in the slaying and the Obama administration condemned the attacks. Israeli officials, in contrast, have hinted at covert campaigns against Iran without directly admitting involvement.
The U.S. and its allies are pressuring Iran to halt uranium enrichment, a key element of the nuclear program that the West suspects is aimed at producing atomic weapons. Uranium enriched to low levels can be used as nuclear fuel, but at higher levels it can be used as material for a nuclear warhead.
Iran denies it is trying to make nuclear weapons, saying its program is for peaceful purposes only and is geared toward generating electricity.
Those claims were called into question on Monday when the International Atomic Energy Agency confirmed Iran had begun enriching uranium to 20% — a significantly higher concentration than the nation's main stockpile, which is enriched to 3.5%.
On Wednesday, following a closed-door session, diplomats said all 15 Security Council members slammed Iran over the move.
Britain's deputy U.N. ambassador Philip Parham brushed aside Iran's claim that the uranium was being enriched for use in a research reactor.
