Senior US Senator Bernie Sanders says the assassination of Iranian scientist Mohsen Fakhrizadeh was an "illegal" move aimed at undermining possible talks between Iran and the incoming US administration.

�The assassination of Mohsen Fakhrizadeh was reckless, provocative, and illegal,� Sanders said in a tweet on Saturday.

�As a new administration takes power, it was clearly intended to undermine US-Iran diplomacy,� the top Senator added.

�We must not allow that to happen. Diplomacy, not murder, is the best path forward.�



The assassination of Mohsen Fakhrizadeh was reckless, provocative, and illegal. As a new administration takes power, it was clearly intended to undermine U.S.-Iran diplomacy. We must not allow that to happen.


Diplomacy, not murder, is the best path forward.�https://t.co/BzOhNmwSGv

� Bernie Sanders (@SenSanders)�November 28, 2020

However, US President Donald Trump�s former hawkish national security advisor John Bolton�defended�the assassination, and claimed that the �threat� of Iran developing a nuclear weapon fully justifies the �pre-emptive attack�.

Earlier in the day, a senior US official told the�Washington Post�that the United States had nothing to do with the scientist�s killing and believes Iran has been told that.

The official, who spoke on the condition of anonymity to discuss a sensitive matter, said there was little doubt Israel was behind the attack.

Former CIA head John Brennan had earlier described the state-sponsored killing of a scientist as a "criminal" act.

The former head of the US Central Intelligence Agency described the assassination as a crime that risked to inflame regional conflict in the Middle East.

�This was a criminal act & highly reckless. It risks lethal retaliation & a new round of regional conflict. Iranian leaders would be wise to wait for the return of responsible American leadership on the global stage & to resist the urge to respond against perceived culprits,� tweeted Brennan, who ran the CIA under President Barack Obama from 2013-2017.

Brennan said he didn�t know whether a foreign government authorized or carried out the assassination of Fakhrizadeh, but said, �Such an act of state-sponsored terrorism would be a flagrant violation of international law & encourage more governments to carry out lethal attacks against foreign officials.�