--- title: "Iran Insists That Its Nuclear Scientist Was Killed by a “Satellite-Controlled Machine Gun”" description: "Mohsen Fakhrizadeh, Iran's top nuclear scientist, was killed on November 27 by a \"smart satellite-controlled machine gun\" according to local media." date: "2020-12-07" modified: "2020-12-07" authors: - name: "Victor Tangermann" job_title: "Senior Editor" link: "https://futurism.com/authors/victor" url: "https://futurism.com/the-byte/iran-nuclear-scientist-killed-satellite-controlled-machine-gun" categories: - "Energy" - "Nuclear Fusion" - "Renewable Energy" - "Science & Energy" tags: - "artificial intelligence" - "iran" - "Israel" - "machine gun" - "the digest" --- # Iran Insists That Its Nuclear Scientist Was Killed by a “Satellite-Controlled Machine Gun” ![]() *\Image: PEO Soldier/Victor Tangermann\* ## Machine Gun Mohsen Fakhrizadeh, Iran's top nuclear scientist, was killed on November 27 by a "smart satellite-controlled machine gun" that used AI, the country's Revolutionary Guards commander Brig-Gen Ali Fadavi told local media, as the [*BBC* reports](). The scientist was allegedly killed by a weapon mounted to a pickup truck, which shot Fakhrizadeh inside a vehicle from a distance — but spared his wife sitting right next to him. The weapon "focused only on martyr Fakhrizadeh's face in a way that his wife, despite being only 25cm \[10 inches\] away, was not shot," Gen Fadavi, Revolutionary Guards deputy commander, told a ceremony on Sunday, as quoted by the *BBC*. ## Arch Nemeses None of these claims have yet to be verified by outside sources and no proof has yet to be provided by Iranian officials. If Iran's officials are to be believed, Israel could be behind the attack, an assassination targeting the brains behind Iran's efforts to develop nuclear weapons, as [*Al Jazeera* points out](). Israel has neither confirmed nor denied involvement. ## Killer Robots Some doubt the assassination was carried out via robot, as [experts told *CNN*](). Technologies would have to be smuggled into the country, including a communications relay, which could easily be intercepted by Iranian forces. Fakhrizadeh has however been a target of Israeli for a long time, a senior US administration official told *CNN*. If confirmed, the assassination could set a troubling precedent. "If such devices were autonomous, using face-recognition to pinpoint and kill people, we would be on a downhill roll that would entirely disrupt global security," Noel Sharkey, a member of the Campaign Against Killer Robots, told the *BBC*. **READ MORE:** [Mohsen Fakhrizadeh: 'Machine-gun with AI' used to kill Iran scientist]() \[*BBC*\] **More on AI:** *[MIT Engineers Built an AI That Design Its Own Robots]()* ## Author I've been at Futurism since 2017, where my role has evolved to encompass design, writing, and increasingly editing. I've always been fascinated by space exploration and advanced transportation, which I've leaned into by interviewing luminaries in those fields while closely following the dimensions of policy and regulation that allow next-generation projects to succeed -- or, sometimes, to fail. I'm also keenly interested in the effects of generative AI on society, policies, and democratic institutions, as well as clean energy, physics and biology, and the vagaries of tech leadership. My work for Futurism has been cited by publications including Ars Technica, Gizmodo, PC Magazine, Jalopnik, Fox News, and the New York Post. I spent my childhood living in locations including Manila, the Philippines, and Geneva, Switzerland, attended McGill University, and now live in Toronto, Canada. Before Futurism I worked at AskMen and a small photography studio. In my free time, I'm an avid gardener, foodie, and craft beer lover, as well as a maker of artisanal hot pepper sauces. I have a magnificent dog named Freida. ### Author social links [Bluesky]()