Iranian media outlets are accusing Israel’s Mossad of being behind the death of an Iranian artificial intelligence scientist whose body was returned to Tehran this week after remaining in France for several months.
Press TV, a news outlet affiliated with the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps, claimed that Dr. Ali Ehsanian died under suspicious circumstances in the southern French city of Nice and alleged that Israeli intelligence was responsible for his death.
According to the report, Ehsanian previously worked with Iran’s Defense Ministry and was involved in artificial intelligence development. Iranian media described him as a specialist in artificial intelligence, machine learning, and advanced communications technologies with potential military applications.
Ehsanian reportedly earned a doctorate in electrical engineering from Sorbonne University in Paris, received a grant from the European Union’s Marie Skłodowska-Curie Actions program, and collaborated with Iran’s Defense Ministry during his military service between 2018 and 2020.
Iranian media claimed that his expertise could have been applied to military communications, drone swarm technology, electronic warfare, and other advanced defense-related fields.
The scientist’s death was reported to have occurred on March 28 in Nice. While French authorities have not publicly identified suspects or announced the results of any investigation, Iranian media asserted that “all evidence” points to Mossad and described the incident as part of what it called a long-running campaign targeting Iranian scientists.
Iranian Foreign Ministry spokesman Esmaeil Baghaei confirmed in May that Tehran was pursuing the case through diplomatic channels with both Iran’s embassy in Paris and the French embassy in Tehran. Baghaei described the incident as “very bitter” and said Iran was obligated to pursue the rights of its citizens wherever they may be.
The case has drawn renewed attention after Ehsanian’s body was returned to Iran this week, with Iranian media using the occasion to renew accusations against Israel despite the lack of any public findings by French authorities linking his death to foreign intelligence activity.
(YWN World Headquarters – NYC)
