TEHRAN- A prominent yet little-known figure in Iran’s nuclear industry, Dr. Seyed Issar Tabatabaei Ghomsheh, and his wife, Mansoureh Haji Salem, were assassinated in their residence late last week.

The Sharif University newspaper reported the death of Dr. Tabatabaei, an alumnus and longtime contributor to Iran’s nuclear program, in what authorities have described as a targeted terrorist attack at his home in Tehran.

Dr. Tabatabaei entered Sharif University in 2004 as a master’s student in mechanical engineering and was later admitted to the university’s Ph.D. program in nuclear engineering in 2007. He was known within scientific circles for his critical contributions to the advancement of Iran’s peaceful nuclear capabilities, although his role remained largely out of the public eye.

The assassination of Dr. Tabatabaei adds to the growing list of Iranian scientists who have been targeted and martyred in recent week following Israeli aggression on Iran in June 13.