Iranian Nuclear Scientist Killed By Car Bomb

A magnetic car bomb detonated on Wednesday in Iran, killing nuclear scientist Mostafa Ahmadi-roshan and a pedestrian. A passenger in the car with the targeted scientist was also seriously injured in the blast. Witnesses reported seeing two people on a motorcycle affix a magnetic bomb to the bottom of Mostafa Ahmadi-roshan's vehicle.

Iran is pointing directly to Israel and the U.S. as being responsible for the assassination, and they are convinced that it is not the first time. "The bomb was a magnetic one and the same as the ones previously used for the assassination of the scientists, and is the work of the Zionists," said Tehran Deputy Governor Safarali Baratlou.

Two bombings occurred in 2010 that were similar in style - and a nuclear scientist was also killed in one of those attacks. Given the heightened tensions between Iran and the West in recent weeks, the bombing comes at an especially sensitive time. Recent U.S.-led sanctions against Iran have begun to cripple the nation's economy, driving the value of the Iranian currency down about 20% versus the dollar. The U.S. has also imposed restrictions on financial institutions attempting to purchase oil from Iran using the Iranian central bank.

It's unclear exactly how prominent the victim of the attack was in Iran's nuclear program - and his role will probably be a big factor in determining Iran's response. Even before the attack, oil prices have been spiking, with Americans already feeling the impact at the pump. With the economic sanctions that are currently in place, Iran is going to be forced to make a difficult decision in the weeks ahead about how badly it wants to pursue its nuclear ambitions. And the West will have to make the same difficult decision about how far it is prepared to go to prevent Iran from gaining nuclear capabilities.