Fereydoon Abbasi
| فریدون عباسی دوانی Fereydoon Abbasi Davani | |
|---|---|
 | |
| Head of Atomic Energy Organization of Iran | |
| In office 13 February 2011 – 16 August 2013 | |
| President | Mahmoud Ahmadinejad |
| Deputy | Mohammad Ahmadian |
| Preceded by | Mohammad Ahmadian (Acting) |
| Succeeded by | Ali Akbar Salehi |
| Personal details | |
| Born | 11 July 1958 Kazerun, Iran |
| Nationality | Iranian |
| Alma mater | Shahid Beheshti University |
Fereydoon Abbasi-Davani (Persian: فریدون عباسی ; (born 11 July 1958) is an Iranian nuclear scientist who was head of Atomic Energy Organization from 2011 to 2013.
Early life and education
Abbasi was born in Kazerun, Iran, on 11 september 1958.[1] According to Mashregh News, an Iranian news website, he holds a PhD in nuclear physics.[1]
Career
Abbasi was a professor of nuclear physics at Shahid Beheshti University and has reportedly been a member of Iran's Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) since the 1979 Islamic Revolution.[2] He reportedly did nuclear research at the Atomic Energy Organization of Iran (AEOI). Prior to his appointment as head of the Atomic Energy Organisation of Iran (AEOI), he chaired the physics department at Tehran's Imam Hossein University.[3]
Abbasi was appointed head of Atomic Energy Organization of Iran (AEOI) by then President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad on 13 February 2011 to succeed Ali Akbar Salehi. The IAEA, the UN's nuclear watchdog, presented a report to its board in May 2011 that laid out new information on possible military dimensions of Iran's nuclear programme. The director of the IAEA, Yukiya Amano, recently wrote to Abbasi-Davani to reiterate the agency's concerns about the existence of a possible military dimension to Iran's nuclear programme and stressing the importance of Iran clarifying these issues.
The report stated: "Based on the Agency's continued study of information which the Agency has acquired from many member states and through its own efforts, the Agency remains concerned about the possible existence in Iran of past or current undisclosed nuclear related activities involving military related organisations, including activities related to the development of a nuclear payload for a missile... there are indications that certain of these activities may have continued beyond 2004." [4]
Abbasi was removed from office on 16 August 2013 and Salehi replaced him in the post.[5]
Controversy
Abbasi has regularly been linked to Iran's alleged efforts to make the nuclear weapon, a process called weaponization. According to an ISIS report citing an expert close to the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA), Abbasi was a key scientist in the alleged Iranian covert nuclear weapons program headed by Mohsen Fakhrizadeh-Mahabadi, a strong supporter of Iran's alleged nuclear weapons program. Abbasi personally directed work to calculate the yield of a nuclear weapon as well as work on high energy neutron sources, this expert added.[3]
According to the same report, the IAEA had information that Abbasi was the head of the Institute of Applied Physics (IAP), which was a follow-on organization to the Physics Research Center. Both of the organizations acted as fronts for scientific work on a possible Iranian nuclear weapons program.[3]
Designation by the UN
Abbasi is "listed in an annex to U.N. Security Council Resolution 1747 of 24 March 2007, as a person involved in Iran's nuclear or ballistic missile activities". This resolution imposes an asset freeze and travel notification requirements. Abbasi is described as a "Senior Ministry of Defence and Armed Forces Logistics (MODAFL) scientist with links to the Institute of Applied Physics, working closely with Mahabadi (also designated by the UN).
Assassination attempt
On 29 November 2010, Abbasi survived an assassination attempt. A separate bomb attack the same day killed another scientist, Dr. Majid Shahriari, who also taught at Shahid Beheshti University.[6]
References
- ↑ 1.0 1.1 "Iranian 'nuclear scientist' killed", Al Jazeera, 29 November 2010
- ↑ David E. Sanger; William J. Broad (23 July 2011). "Survivor of Attack Leads Nuclear Effort in Iran". The New York Times. Retrieved 17 August 2013.
- ↑ 3.0 3.1 3.2 ISIS online report on Abbasi, 24 June 2011
- ↑ IAEA report on Iran IAEA
- ↑ "Iran Parliament approves big Rouhani cabinet nominees, rejects 3". Hurriyet (Dubai). Reuters. 16 August 2013. Retrieved 17 August 2013.
- ↑ Bomb blast blamed on Israel and US kills Iran nuclear scientist, The Independent, 30 November 2010
| Academic offices | ||
|---|---|---|
| Preceded by Mohammad Nabavi |
President of Imam Hossein University 2001–2011 |
Succeeded by Alireza Hosseini |
| Political offices | ||
| Preceded by Mohammad Ahmadian |
Head of Atomic Energy Organization 2011–2013 |
Succeeded by Ali Akbar Salehi |
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