Saeed Borji
Saeed Borji | |
|---|---|
| سعید برجی | |
| Born | 1958 |
| Died | 13 June 2025 (aged 66–67) |
| Cause of death | Assassination by Israeli airstrike |
| Citizenship | Iran |
| Education | PhD in mechanical engineering |
| Alma mater | Malek-Ashtar University of Technology |
| Occupations | Nuclear physicist and nuclear engineer[5] |
| Years active | 1980–2025 |
| Known for | Work on Iran's nuclear programme and defence technologies |
| Spouse | Mansoureh Aalikhani |
Saeed Borji (Persian: سعید برجی; 1958[1] – 13 June 2025[5]) was an Iranian nuclear physicist and nuclear engineer who was involved in Iran's nuclear programme. He held a PhD in mechanical engineering from Malek-Ashtar University of Technology.[3] He was killed in Israeli airstrikes on Iran in June 2025.[6][7]
Borji was sanctioned by the U.S. Department of the Treasury in March 2019 for his alleged role in developing defence equipment for the Islamic Republic of Iran.[8]
Early life and education
Saeed Borji was born in 1958, with sources citing either Kazerun, Fars Province, or Abadan as his birthplace.[1] After completing his secondary education in mathematics and physics, he studied mechanical engineering at university level.
Borji was admitted to the mechanical engineering programme at Malek-Ashtar University of Technology with a scholarship from Iran's Ministry of Defence and Armed Forces Logistics, where he earned his PhD in mechanical engineering.[3] Upon completing his doctorate, he joined the faculty at the same university.[9]
Career
Borji worked as a nuclear physicist and mechanical engineer in Iran, teaching at various universities. According to Iranian media, he was involved in advancing nuclear knowledge and promoting its domestic development.[3]
He reportedly worked with Mohsen Fakhrizadeh, a nuclear physicist and head of the Organization of Defensive Innovation and Research (SPND) within Iran's Ministry of Defense. Borji was allegedly a member of the SPND, which coordinates Iran's defence research programmes.[3]
According to some sources, Borji was considered one of Iran's leading nuclear scientists alongside Fereydoon Abbasi and other prominent figures in the field.[4]
Reports suggest he held expertise in explosive materials and defence technologies, and played a role in the AMAD Project, contributing to strategic technologies and high-energy materials research. He was also involved in academic teaching and knowledge transfer.[10]
Israeli media described him as involved in nuclear weapon detonator design, whilst Iranian sources disputed these characterisations.[4][11]
Some reports indicated that he established companies in the petrochemical sector, though the U.S. Treasury Department sanctioned him and associated entities in March 2019 for allegedly supporting Iran's defence programmes.[4]
Academic work
Borji was a faculty member at Malek-Ashtar University of Technology and reportedly authored academic papers in materials science, nanotechnology, and mechanical engineering published in both Persian and English.[5][12]
Sanctions
In March 2019, Saeed Borji was sanctioned by the U.S. Department of the Treasury for his alleged role in developing explosive materials and technologies for Iran's defence sector, particularly through his reported work with the Organization of Defensive Innovation and Research (SPND).[3]
Death
| Assassination of Saeed Borji | |
|---|---|
| Part of Assassination of Iranian nuclear scientists | |
| Location | 35°48′13″N 51°30′43″E / 35.803682°N 51.511855°E Tehran, Iran |
| Date | 13 June 2025 |
| Target | Saeed Borji |
Attack type | Airstrike |
| Deaths | At least 2 |
| Injured | Unknown |
| Perpetrator | Israel (alleged) |
Borji was killed on 13 June 2025 during Israeli airstrikes on Iran as part of the ongoing Iran–Israel war.[13] He was reportedly targeted due to his involvement in Iran's nuclear programme.[14]
According to Iranian sources, his wife Mansoureh Aalikhani, described as a painter, was also killed in the attack.[3] The strike occurred in the early hours of Friday, 13 June 2025, in Tehran.[15]
Iranian media reported that Borji was among several nuclear scientists killed during the same period of airstrikes, though the exact number and identities of others killed varies between sources.[16]
His funeral was held on 28 June 2025, alongside those of other officials killed during the Israeli strikes.[17]
See also
- Nuclear program of Iran
- Assassinations of Iranian nuclear scientists
- Iran–Israel war
- Fereydoon Abbasi
- Mohsen Fakhrizadeh
References
- ^ a b c "Said Borji / Iran Watch". Retrieved 14 June 2025.
- ^ "Getting to know the life of martyr Professor Saeed Borji" (in Persian). Retrieved 27 August 2025.
- ^ a b c d e f g "Martyr Saeed Borji, the nuclear scientist who never despaired or got tired" (in Persian). Retrieved 27 August 2025.
- ^ a b c d "Getting to know the life of martyr Professor Saeed Borji" (in Persian). Retrieved 27 August 2025.
- ^ a b c "Biography of Dr. Saeed Borji" (in Persian). Retrieved 27 August 2025.
- ^ "شهادت ۳ دانشمند هستهای دیگر در حملات اسرائیل" [Three more nuclear scientists martyred in Israeli attacks] (in Persian). Retrieved 27 August 2025.
- ^ "شهادت ۳ تن دیگر از متخصصان هستهای کشور در حملات اخیر اسرائیل" [Three more Iranian nuclear experts martyred in recent Israeli attacks] (in Persian). Retrieved 27 August 2025.
- ^ "آمریکا ۱۴ فرد و ۱۷ نهاد "مرتبط با برنامه هستهای" ایران را تحریم کرد" [US sanctions 14 individuals and 17 entities "linked to Iran's nuclear program"] (in Persian). Retrieved 27 August 2025.
- ^ "آشنایی با زندگی شهید پرفسور سعید برجی" [Getting to know the life of martyr Professor Saeed Borji] (in Persian). Retrieved 27 August 2025.
- ^ "چرا آمریکا و اسراییل سعید برجی را هدف قرار دادند؟" [Why did the US and Israel target Saeed Borji?] (in Persian). Retrieved 27 August 2025.
- ^ "لقب رسانههای صهیونیستی برای شهید "سعید برجی"" [Zionist media's nickname for martyr "Saeed Borji"] (in Persian). Retrieved 27 August 2025.
- ^ "مقالات سعید برجی" [Articles by Saeed Borji] (in Persian). Retrieved 27 August 2025.
- ^ "شهادت ۳ تن دیگر از متخصصان هستهای کشور در حملات اخیر اسرائیل". اعتمادآنلاین (in Persian). 21 June 2025. Retrieved 21 June 2025.
- ^ "سعید برجی؛ مغز متفکر طراحی چاشنی بمب اتمی در پروژه هستهای ایران در حمله اسرائیل کشته شد". www.iranintl.com (in Persian). 15 June 2025. Retrieved 21 June 2025.
- ^ "۳ دانشمند هسته ای توسط رژیم صهیونیستی ترور شدند". Fararu | فرارو (in Persian). 21 June 2025. Retrieved 21 June 2025.
- ^ "ترور ۳ دانشمند هسته ای دیگر توسط رژیم صهیونیستی". روزنامه دنیای اقتصاد (in Persian). 21 June 2025. Retrieved 21 June 2025.
- ^ "Iran to hold funerals for top commanders, scientists killed in Israel strikes: State media". Al Arabiya English. 25 June 2025. Retrieved 25 June 2025.