The New York Times reported tonight (Monday) that Iran suspects Israel has eliminated two scientists through food poisoning.
The report is based on an Iranian source and two people with ties to the government.
One of the poisons reported is Ayub Anthazari, who according to the Iranian opposition was invited to dinner and then collapsed and died at the hospital.
The opposition website Iran International reported that its host had fled the country.
According to a report in the New York Times, Anthasari developed symptoms of food poisoning after attending a dinner to which he was invited in the city of Yazd, according to a staff member of a senior Iranian source.
The source further noted that the host had disappeared and the authorities were looking for him.
The other scientist was the geologist Kerman Agmolai.
Foreign media claimed that the geologist worked at the Natanz nuclear facility, but his friends denied this.
The New York Times failed to confirm the allegations of any connection between Agmolai and any weapons program.
According to the American newspaper, the two scientists were graduates of leading universities in Iran.
Before they suddenly occurred in late May.
They were young, healthy and athletic, but then they were evacuated to intensive care units in hospitals in two different cities hundreds of miles away.
Subsequently, the New York Times reported that the aviation scientist Anthazari had a doctorate in aeronautics and worked on projects related to the development of missiles and aircraft turbines.
He worked at the Government Space Center in the city of Yazd.
Other reports have suggested that he was involved in the development of UAVs.
A source told the New York Times that geologist Agmulai had returned to Tehran from a business trip to the northern city of Tabriz.
He then developed nausea and suffered from diarrhea that worsened day by day until he died.
The New York Times reported that if indeed, as Iran suspects, these are targeted assassinations - then they fit the patterns of the shadow war operation with Israel.
It was also noted that Israel appears to have expanded its range of targets from senior figures associated with the nuclear program to military officials and low-level scientists.
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