The immediate suspects were the three intelligence agencies that were the avowed enemies of the Islamic Republic of Iran, namely the American CIA, the British MI6 and the Israeli Mossad. After a careful examination of the modus operandi and the clean and successful execution of the operations the CIA was removed from the suspects list, as its track record was full of bungled operations and contrary to such a meticulous performance. However, MI6 and Mossad still remained on the list, until a Russian mole deep inside the administration of the British Secret Intelligence Service assured his handlers that MI6 was not involved. General Koliagin of the Russian FSB passed this piece of information to Iran as a goodwill gesture. So the four participants in the small meeting agreed that it was time to open a secret war against the Mossad in particular and on the Israeli government and its citizens in general. Imam Mourtashef mentioned that two of the murdered scientists were also leading members of the elite group that operated in laboratory in Basement S, and wondered aloud if this was a mere coincidence or deliberate targeting of prominent scientists in the most secret nuclear project in Iran.
The Senior Assistant of the Supreme Leader said that after these acts all the scientists involved in the nuclear program ran scared and several had started seeking jobs elsewhere, in Iran and even abroad. The high profile murders had humiliated Iran, and in this part of the world losing face was anathema. Governments fell if the people, or even a small aggressive faction in the military, felt that their national pride and honor were derided. The Senior Assistant declared that the Supreme Leader held the four of them responsible to restore national honor. He instructed General Aslawi to embark on a path that would involve kidnapping Israelis and holding them hostage until the Israeli government complied with Iran's demands.
The prime demand was that Israel would publicly admit that its Mossad agents were behind these murders and put them on trial at the International Court of Justice in Den Hague. In addition Israel would be forced to dismantle its two nuclear research centers in Dimona and in Soreq and allow IAEA inspector free access to every site in Israel. They were well aware of the fact that this latter demand would never be accepted by Israel but wanted to use this to draw attention to Israel's nuclear activity and particularly that it had not joined the Non-Proliferation Treaty (NPT). Imam Mourtashef who was by far the most sophisticated, cunning and intelligent participant of this meeting was already plotting a devious scheme of using the hostages for a very special purpose but did not wish to share his thoughts with his companions at this stage.
The Chief of Mossad, Haim Shimony, called for an emergency meeting of his senior staff and representatives from the Israeli Security Agency (ISA) and the Israeli Atomic Energy Commission (IAEC). He asked David Avivi, who was now in charge of the Iranian desk in Mossad, to bring the participants up to date on the recent events that concerned the untimely deaths of senior Iranian scientists and intelligence operatives connected to the Iranian nuclear establishment. David reviewed the cases and said that it looked as if someone was eliminating the scientists and was trying to frame Mossad. He reminded the people at the meeting that two Mossad agents were captured in Amman, Jordan when they squirted a poisonous liquid into the ear of a Palestinian Hamas leader. This ended badly as the agents were apprehended and as a result Israel was forced to deliver an antidote and release several Hamas prisoners. He also mentioned that Mossad had been suspected of pushing enemies of the state under approaching trains, down steep cliffs and treacherous ski slopes although such acts were more the stuff of movies than real intelligence agencies (where intelligence was not a suitable term). Even the use of poisoned food was blamed on Mossad agents in previous cases without any substantial evidence. David added that he too had once had a massage in London's Chinatown and was a bit concerned that the masseur would wring his neck like a chicken, but said that as far as he knew Mossad had never resorted to this trick previously.
Shimony said that he was worried that the Iranians would believe that Mossad was behind these blatant murders and would retaliate against Israeli scientists and innocent citizens. He wondered who would be interested in making this look like Mossad's work and precipitate an all-out clandestine war between Iran and Israel. He said that the CIA had tried to instigate such wars by provocation but doubted whether the CIA would dare to try this with Israel, its staunchest ally. "The Fish" who represented the ISA at the meeting commented that it couldn't be the CIA because of the clean professional operation, unknowingly repeating what his opposite number in Tehran had said. The Russians were always held as suspects in such assassination cases but Shimony believed that they wouldn't bother to hide their involvement. He said that their approach to such accusations was the opposite. They were on record, tacitly if not publicly, when Litvinenko was poisoned in London by a lethal dose of polonium or when dissident journalists were found dead in Moscow. Shimony asked the participants if they had any ideas who could be responsible but nobody ventured an opinion. As the meeting was adjourned Shimony appointed David to be personally in charge of investigating the matter.
Israeli nuclear scientists received a stern word of warning from the Prime Minister's office, supported by the Defense Ministry, that for their own security they should limit their participation in conferences in order to avoid being targeted by Iran. The Israeli scientists were still encouraged to actively attend conferences in the United States, China and Russia, but to avoid Europe. As most of them were aware of the risks they accepted the directive without questioning it. Israeli scientists who were already in Europe, on sabbatical or for other reasons were urged to return to Israel without delay, and many did so for fear of what could happen to them or their families.
In a special press conference that was held at the Prime Minister's office, the PM and Mossad chief declared that Israel was not involved in the murder or disappearance of any Iranian nuclear scientist. This was in sharp contrast to the standard Israeli policy that had always refused to comment, deny or admit, on actions that were attributed to Mossad. The overall reaction to this statement in the world was skeptical despite Israel's divergence from its regular behavior.
Meetings were held by national security advisers, intelligence officers and nuclear scientists in London, Paris, Berlin, Moscow and Washington to discuss the mysterious fate that befell the Iranian scientists. Mossad was the natural suspect and the culprit that first came to mind and the announcement of the Israeli PM was not considered credible. All the experts predicted that the Iranians would seek revenge and target Israelis so a warning was issued by the administrations of these countries to stay away from Israelis in general and nuclear scientists in particular, especially at conferences that were held in Europe.
The agents of the Iranian Revolutionary Guard in Europe were frustrated because after two months of intensive attempts to kidnap or assassinate Israeli scientists in Europe they had not managed to snare even a single one. Once again the Senior Assistant of the Supreme Leader, General Aslawi of the IRG and the head of the AEOI met to discuss the options for punishing Israel for its alleged actions against the Iranian scientists. Imam Mourtashef was not present this time because he was on a prescheduled visit to the laboratory in Basement S.