'Iran's Oppenheimer': Mohsen Fakhrizadeh, The Nuclear Mastermind Mossad Couldn't Ignore

He was a phantom in Iran's nuclear program — unseen, unheard, and for years, unknown. But within Western intelligence circles, Mohsen Fakhrizadeh had long been considered the one man Israel couldn't afford to ignore. Known as the "father of Iran's nuclear programme", he was even called "Iran's Robert Oppenheimer".

By the time Israel publicly named him in 2018, the decision to target him may already have been made.

'Remember That Name'

In a televised reveal of stolen Iranian nuclear documents in 2018, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu issued a chilling instruction: "Remember that name." He was referring to Mohsen Fakhrizadeh.

Western intelligence believed Fakhrizadeh had masterminded "Project Amad", Iran's secret nuclear weapons initiative in the early 2000s. Yet during the 2015 nuclear agreement, his name remained so politically sensitive that it wasn't even mentioned.

Publicly invisible, Fakhrizadeh was very much on the radar of Israeli and Western security agencies — a man with a target on his back.

A Killing Unlike Any Other

On November 27, 2020, Fakhrizadeh was travelling with his wife and security convoy to their villa in Absard, east of Tehran. As they approached a speed bump, a pickup truck appeared abandoned on the roadside.

Inside the truck was a 7.62 mm FN MAG machine gun, fitted with facial recognition AI, satellite control systems, and explosives. Iranian officials later revealed that the weapon was operated remotely from outside Iran, with no agents on the ground.

As a stray dog crossed the road, the gun fired — first at the car's front, then through the windshield. Fakhrizadeh was hit in the shoulder, exited the vehicle to take cover, and was shot three more times in the spine. He collapsed near the road. His wife was unharmed.

In under a minute, 15 bullets were fired. The truck exploded — but failed to fully destroy the equipment. Damaged but intact components were recovered, confirming this was no ordinary assassination. It was carried out by what Iranian officials called a “robot sniper.”

Mossad’s Silent Signature

The entire plot bore the hallmarks of Mossad, Israel's foreign intelligence service. Though Jerusalem never formally acknowledged the hit, former Mossad chief Yossi Cohen later hinted at responsibility, calling Fakhrizadeh a "legitimate target".

Reports suggested the weapon was smuggled into Iran in parts, assembled and tested locally. Mossad agents had reportedly monitored Fakhrizadeh for months before the strike.

Brigadier General Ali Fadavi of Iran's Revolutionary Guards noted the extraordinary accuracy of the weapon, saying it hit "only him while leaving his wife and guards unharmed".

It was, by many accounts, the most advanced targeted assassination in modern history.

A Legacy That Lingers

Fakhrizadeh's assassination did more than just eliminate a key figure in Iran's nuclear efforts. It derailed diplomatic negotiations, accelerated uranium enrichment, and gave Iran's hardliners a new rallying cry. The regime's nuclear posture grew more aggressive. International dialogue became more strained.

The shadow war between Israel and Iran escalated — and his killing became a symbol of its reach and precision.

A Scar Reopened

The memory of Fakhrizadeh came rushing back earlier this month, when Fereidoun Abbasi, another top Iranian nuclear figure and survivor of a past assassination attempt, was killed during Israeli airstrikes. Abbasi had once shrugged off threats, famously saying he would "gladly build nuclear weapons if asked".

His death reopened old wounds in Iran and reminded the world of what had happened to Fakhrizadeh — a man who operated in the shadows, but whose death revealed just how far this covert war had come.