A Tehran University scientist was killed on Tuesday when a remote-controlled bomb rigged to a motorcycle blew up outside his home.

 

The victim was identified as 50-year-old Masoud Ali Mohammadi, a nuclear physics professor at Tehran University. The institution has been at the center of recent protests by student opposition supporters.

The country's State TV said Ali Mohammadi had just left his house on his way to work when the remote-controlled explosion went off.

The blast shattered the windows of his home in a neighborhood in northern Tehran, leaving the pavement outside smeared with blood and strewn with debris.

Tehran prosecutors confirmed the killing and said no one had been arrested.

Fakareddin Jafarzadeh, Head of Tehran's Criminal Court, said, "There is speculation that cannot be spoken about now. It is under investigation. Various organizations are investigating and related information will be announced later on."

The bombing occurred at a time of heightened tension in the country, seven months after a disputed presidential election plunged the major oil producer into turmoil.

It also coincided with a sensitive time in Iran's row with the West over its nuclear ambitions. Major powers are expected to meet in New York on Saturday to discuss possible new sanctions on Tehran over its refusal to halt its atomic work.