Tehran: No Iranian nuclear expert was killed in Syria

Iranian Deputy Foreign Minister Hassan Qashqavi denied reports that an Iranian nuclear expert had been killed in an armed attack in the Syrian capital of Damascus, according to the Iranian News Agency (IRNA).

During a conference of Iranian news agencies in Tehran, Qashqavi denied the presence of an Iranian nuclear expert in Syria.

Reports began to circulate after media outlets reported news of the killing of five engineers, four of them Syrian and an Iranian, working in a scientific research centre located in Barzeh, Damascus.

Syrian human rights activists denied the presence of an Iranian engineer at the scene and have said that they believe his name was added to the list of those killed as a cover up for a larger assassination operation carried out by the Syrian regime.

They also reported that engineers who were killed were from cities including Al-Tall, Harasta and Meneen. Reports show that their bodies were not mutilated but were thrown in various locations areas of Damascus.