Operation Rising Lion - Attack On Iran - Ep 3. The Scientist

November 27, 2020. A one-ton remote-controlled machine gun, smuggled into Iran piece by piece, waits on the Absard highway for Dr. Mohsen Rahimi—Iran's nuclear weapons architect and a grandfather who coaches youth soccer.

The assassination takes sixty-three seconds and triggers a five-year manhunt by Captain Reza Amiri, who will stop at nothing to find his childhood friend's killers. As Marcus coordinates the most sophisticated elimination in intelligence history, Dr. Ahmad Tehrani attends the funeral and refuses to provide intelligence for targeting other Iranians.

Some hunts are personal. Some friendships transcend politics. And sometimes the mathematics of prevention and cure become indistinguishable. The network that prevented nuclear war is about to be destroyed by the pursuit of justice.

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Episode Transcript

Speaker 1 (00:00):
Operation Rising Lion is a fictional series based on real
world events. Any similarities between persons living or dead is
purely coincidental. Calaruga Shark Media.

Speaker 2 (00:28):
My name is Marcus Cole, and I need to tell
you about the morning we crossed a line we could
never uncross. It was eight fifteen am on a Friday
in November when doctor Mohsen Rahimi's armored sedan rounded the
curve on the Absurd Highway, thirty kilometers east of Tehran.
He was traveling with his wife Mariam, returning from their

(00:50):
weekend house in the mountains, where they'd hosted his grandchildren
for an early birthday celebration. This is episode three The Scientist.
What doctor Rahimi didn't know was that we'd been tracking

(01:13):
his movements for thirteen years. What he couldn't have calculated
was that a one ton remote controlled machine gun, smuggled
in Iran piece by piece over eight months, was waiting
for him at precisely that curve. And what I couldn't
have anticipated was that Captain Razami would dedicate the next
five years of his life to hunting down everyone responsible

(01:35):
for what happened in the following sixty three seconds. But
I'm getting ahead of myself. To understand why eliminating doctor
Mosen Rahimi became inevitable in our calculations, you need to
understand what Colonel Karimi's network had revealed about Iran's nuclear
weapons program in the two years since we'd stolen those

(01:56):
archives from Shoabad. Doctor Rahimi was Iran's Robert Oppenheimer, the
brilliant physicist who transformed theoretical nuclear research into practical weapons development.
Since two thousand and seven, he'd led Project Amod's evolution
from paper blueprints to functional warhead designs. The intelligence provided
by doctor Tarani and other assets in Karimi's network painted

(02:19):
a disturbing picture. Iran was months away from producing weapons
grade uranium and quantity sufficient for multiple nuclear devices, but
Rahemi represented more than technical expertise. He was the institutional
memory of Iran's nuclear weapons program, the man who understood
not just how to build atomic bombs, but how to
build them efficiently, reliably, in in quantity. Eliminating him wouldn't

(02:45):
stop Iran's nuclear program, but it would set it back
years and force a complete reorganization of their research priorities.
The mathematics were brutal, but clear. One man's life against
millions of potential casualties in nuclear war. I'd coordinated targeted
eliminations before terrorists in Damascus, weapons dealers in Beirut, rocket

(03:08):
engineers in Gaza. But doctor Rahimi was different. He wasn't
a battlefield combatant or a criminal operative. He was a
scionist working for his government, a grandfather who coached youth
soccer and donated blood during natural disasters. The psychological profile
we'd developed painted him as a genuinely decent man caught

(03:29):
in the machinery of state policy. He believed his research
served Iran's defensive needs. He had no idea his calculations
were feeding weapons designed to incinerate Israeli cities. But belief
doesn't alter mathematical reality. Doctor Rahimi's continued research represented an
existential threat to Israeli survival. The operation took eighteen months

(03:51):
to plan and execute. We called it Scholar's End, a
designation that felt appropriately academic for targeting someone who'd spent
his career and pursuit of knowledge. However destructive, the weapon
itself was a masterpiece of engineering psychology. A modified Belgian
fnmag machine gun mounted on an advanced robotic platform equipped

(04:14):
with facial recognition software and satellite communication systems. The entire
apparatus weighed approximately one ton and had been smuggled into
Iran through commercial channels over eight months. Our operatives used
legitimate business relationships to import industrial equipment, electronic components, and
mechanical parts that seemed innocuous individually but formed a sophisticated

(04:36):
assassination system when assembled. The machine gun components entered Iran
disguised as mining equipment. The robotic platform arrived as agricultural
automation technology. The artificial intelligence systems were embedded in consumer
electronics shipments. The assembly took place in a safe house
outside Tehran, a facility Koremi's network had identified and secured

(04:59):
without Irani counter intelligence detection. Three Massad technical specialists operating
under commercial cover identities spent six weeks integrating the components
into a weapon system that could be operated remotely from
our Tel Aviv command center. Doctor Rahimi's security team had
advised against the weekend trip to absard intelligence indicated elevated

(05:22):
threat levels, and his protection detail recommended postponing travel until
security assessments could be completed, but Rahimi insisted on maintaining
his family commitments. His grandson's birthday party was more important
to him than abstract security concerns. He'd survived previous assassination attempts,
car bombs in twenty ten, motorcycle gunmen in twenty fifteen,

(05:46):
and believed his security protocols were adequate protection that confidence
would prove fatal. The killing zone was a curve on
the Absard Highway where terrain features limited escape routes, and
sitelines provided optimal targeting angles. Our surveillance teams had identified
the location months earlier and positioned the weapon system in

(06:09):
an abandoned Nissan pickup truck parked strategically along the roadside
from my control center in Tel Aviv. I watched satellite
feeds as Rahimi's four vehicle convoy approached the ambush site.
The lead security car, Rahimi's armored Sedan, a follow vehicle
with additional bodyguards and a rear guard maintaining overwatch standard

(06:30):
Iranian VIP protection protocol meticulously documented by Karemi's network. At
eight seventeen am, the convoy entered the killing zone. The
weapon system activated automatically, using facial recognition software to identify
doctor Rahimi through the Sedan's windows. Thirteen bullets fired in

(06:51):
controlled bursts over thirty seven seconds, struck the vehicle with
surgical precision. The bullets were designed to penetrate standard armored glass.
Intelligence about the Sedan's protection specifications had been provided by
our network months earlier. Doctor Rahimi died instantly. Four additional
rounds struck his security chief, who had attempted to shield

(07:13):
the scientists with his own body. Mariam Rahimi, sitting beside
her husband, was unharmed. The weapons targeting algorithms had been
programmed to avoid collateral casualties. The entire engagement lasted less
than one minute. By the time Iranian security forces reached
the scene, the weapon system had self destructed, destroying evidence

(07:33):
while leaving enough debris to suggest a sophisticated foreign intelligence operation.
But something went wrong with our extraction planning. The Nissan
pickup truck was registered to a man who had fled
Iran three days before the assassination, a detail that immediately
suggested foreign involvement to Iranian investigators. More critically, the technical

(07:54):
complexity of the weapon system indicated resources and capabilities beyond
those of tips opposition groups. Within hours, Iranian security services
had concluded they were dealing with an Israeli operation. That's
when Captain Ressa Amiri entered our calculations. Captain Amir was

(08:22):
a twenty year veteran of Iran's intelligence ministry, specializing in
counterintelligence operations against foreign services. He'd spent his career tracking
Israeli operatives in Iran with methodical precision that had earned
respect even from Massad analysts who studied his work, But
the Rahimi assassination transformed AMII from professional investigator into personal nemesis.

(08:45):
Amir had grown up in the same Tehran neighborhood as
doctor Rahimi. They'd attended the same elementary school, played soccer
on the same youth teams, maintained a friendship that transcended
their different career paths. When Amir learned that his childhood
friend had been assassin by foreign operatives, the investigation became
a personal mission for justice. The Wolf Report's unusual activity

(09:08):
in counterintelligence channels came an encrypted message from Karemi three
days after the assassination. Captain Amiri has been assigned lead
investigative authority. He's asking uncomfortable questions about security protocols and
communication intercepts. Amir's investigation began with forensic analysis of the
weapons system debris. Iranian technical specialists concluded that the assassination

(09:32):
required intelligence about Rahimi's travel schedule, security protocols, and vehicle
specifications that could only have been provided by sources within
Iran security apparatus. The mathematical implications were terrifying. If Israeli
intelligence had penetrated Iran's security services deeply enough to coordinate
such a sophisticated assassination, the entire Iranian leadership was vulnerable

(09:56):
to similar operations. But Amir's investigation went beyond technical forensics.
He began conducting psychological profiles of Iranian personnel with access
to classified information about Rahimi's movements. He reviewed communication patterns,
travel records, financial transactions, and personal relationships of anyone who

(10:17):
might have provided intelligence to foreign services, and he was
getting closer to discovering Karimi's network archive control. The wolf
advis's extreme caution came another encrypted message in December, Captain
Amir has identified communication anomalies in my department. He's requesting
authorization to conduct polygraph examinations of senior staff. This was

(10:41):
the nightmare scenario we'd calculated, but hoped to avoid a
competent investigator with personal motivation and institutional support systematically unraveling
the network that had taken three years to build. The
pressure was mounting on doctor Tehrani as well. Rahimi's death
had triggered security reviews throughout Iran's nuclear program. Personnel with

(11:02):
foreign contacts were being questioned, research projects were being audited
for security compliance. I attended Mosen's funeral, Tehrani reported through
ENCRYPTI channels. His grandsons asked me why bad people had
killed their grandfather. His wife asked if the research we
were doing was worth men dying for it. I couldn't
answer either question. Doctor Ahmad Tehrani was breaking down under

(11:26):
the psychological strain of betraying his homeland, while morning colleagues
killed by the intelligence he provided. The funeral had been
a breaking point, seeing Rahimi's family grieve for a man
whose death Trani had helped enable through his cooperation with
Israeli intelligence. But the intelligence Tehrani continued to provide was
too valuable to lose. His access to nuclear research data

(11:49):
enabled precision targeting that minimized civilian casualties while maximizing operational impact,
replacing him would take years in risk, exposing additional assets
to a Mary's investigationation. The calculations were becoming increasingly complex.
Maintained Tehrani's cooperation while managing his psychological deterioration, Continue Karemi's

(12:11):
network operations while avoiding Amir's investigation. Eliminate Iranian nuclear capability
while preventing broader regional war. Every variable depended on variables
we couldn't control. Amir's investigation expanded throughout twenty twenty one.
In twenty twenty two, he arrested a tea house owner
who had provided safehouse services during our archive operation. He

(12:33):
identified three communication channels used by our operatives during the
Rahemi assassination. He even discovered the shipping records for some
of the equipment components we'd use to build the weapon system.
But he was also discovering corruption within Iran security services
that had nothing to do with Israeli intelligence operations. Iranian
officials were embezzling funds, selling classified information to criminal organizations,

(12:58):
and using their positions for personal enrichment. Amir's investigation was
uncovering systemic problems that threatened the entire Iranian security establishment.
The Wolf says Amir has identified significant corruption in intelligence services.
Koremi reported his investigation is expanding beyond foreign penetration to

(13:19):
include domestic criminal activity. This provides cover for our network,
but also increases security scrutiny across all departments. Iranian leadership
was facing an uncomfortable choice support Amir's investigation and risk
exposing widespread corruption, or limit his authority and risk leaving
foreign intelligence networks intact. They chose a middle course that

(13:43):
satisfied no one. Amir was given expanded investigative authority but
limited resources. He could pursue foreign intelligence operations, but not
corruption cases that implicated senior officials. He could arrest low
level operatives, but not senior personnel without explicit authoryation. The
bureaucratic constraints frustrated Amri, but didn't stop his investigation. He

(14:05):
simply worked around administrative limitations with the dedication of someone
pursuing personal justice rather than professional advancement. By twenty twenty three,
Amri had identified most of the support network we'd use
for the Rahemi assassination. Safehouses, communication channels, equipment suppliers, transportation assets,

(14:27):
the entire infrastructure that had enabled our operation. Was being
systematically exposed and eliminated. But he still hadn't discovered the
source of the intelligence that made the assassination possible. He
didn't know about doctor Tehrani's cooperation with Israeli intelligence. He
hadn't identified Kareemi as a double agent. The core network
remained intact even as its operational capabilities were degraded. That's

(14:50):
when we made a decision that would haunt my calculations
for years. Rather than risk Amri discovering our most valuable assets,
we decided to eliminate him. The operation was designated Scholar's Justice,

(15:11):
a reference to his investigation of the Rahemi assassination. It
would look like retaliation by criminal elements whose corruption he'd exposed,
providing plausible deniability while removing the threat to our network.
But doctor Tehrani refused to provide intelligence for targeting Amir.
I won't help you kill another good man, came his
encrypted message. Raisa Ami is trying to protect Iran from

(15:35):
foreign infiltration. He's doing his job with honor and dedication.
If you want to eliminate him, find another source for
targeting intelligence. Tehrani's refusal created an operational crisis We needed
his access to Iranian security protocols to plan Amir's assassination,
but he wouldn't cooperate with operations targeting Iranian personnel. He

(15:56):
respected the psychological profile we developed of Tehrani indicated this
was likely. He'd agreed to provide intelligence about nuclear weapons
development because he opposed proliferation, but he wouldn't participate in
operations targeting individual Iranians unless they were directly involved in
weapons research. His moral boundaries were limiting our operational flexibility

(16:19):
at precisely the moment when eliminating Amri had become strategically necessary,
MARCUS Director Cohen said during a briefing in early twenty
twenty four, we need to resolve the AMII problem. His
investigation is getting too close to assets. We can't afford
to lose Sir without Tehrani's cooperation. We don't have the

(16:40):
intelligence required for precise targeting, and forcing his cooperation risks
losing him entirely. Then we need to decide which asset
is more valuable, Tehrani's continued intelligence provision or eliminating the
threat a Miri represents. The mathematics were cruel, but clear,
Doctor Tehrani. He provided ongoing intelligence about Iran's nuclear program.

(17:03):
Captain Amir represented a growing threat to the network that
enabled that intelligence collection. But eliminating Amri without Tehrani's cooperation
would require broader operations that risked exposing other assets. We
chose to maintain Tehrani's cooperation and manage the Amir threat
through operational security rather than elimination. It was the right

(17:24):
decision morally, in the wrong decision strategically. Over the following year,
Amir's investigation continued closing in on our network. He identified
communication patterns that suggested systematic intelligence sharing between Irani and
personnel and foreign services. He developed psychological profiles of potential

(17:44):
double agents that included accurate assessments of several network members,
and in March twenty twenty five, he finally identified doctor
Ahmad Tehrani as a probable Israeli intelligence asset. Archive control
the Wolf Reports Emergencies status came Koremi's final encrypted message.
Captain AMII has requested authorization to arrest doctor Tehrani for questioning.

(18:09):
He has compiled evidence of irregular communication patterns and suspicious
research access recommend immediate extraction protocols, but doctor Tehrani refused extraction.
I won't abandon my country or my colleagues, he transmitted.
If Captain Ami arrest me, I'll deny everything and accept
the consequences, but I won't let my cooperation with Israel

(18:30):
destroy other people's lives. Tehrani's refusal to flee Iran meant
his arrest would inevitably lead to interrogation, confession, and identification
of other network members. The carefully constructed intelligence operation that
had enabled precision targeting of Iranian nuclear facilities was about
to collapse under pressure from one dedicated investigator seeking justice

(18:53):
for his murdered friend. The network that had prevented nuclear
war was being destroyed by the pursuit of justice for
preventing nuclear war. Three months later, Iranian intelligence reported that
they were accelerating nuclear weapons development in response to security
breaches in their program. They'd concluded that foreign intelligence penetration

(19:14):
was so extensive that only rapid completion of nuclear capability
would provide adequate deterrence against further attacks. Iran's pursuit of
nuclear weapons was being accelerated by our success in preventing
nuclear weapons. The equations were balancing in ways we'd never calculated.
On June thirteenth, twenty twenty five, Israeli forces launched Operation

(19:38):
Rising Lion. Among the first targets struck were Iran's nuclear
research facilities, where doctor Ahmad Tehrani had spent his career
trying to build something beautiful for his country while secretly
preventing something terrible from being built for the world. Doctor
Tehrani died in the initial air strikes, killed by the
military operation his intelligence had helped play. Captain Ami died

(20:02):
defending Tehran from precision strikes that were only possible because
of the network he'd spent five years trying to expose,
and somewhere in the rubble of Iranian nuclear facilities, the
research that could have led to fifteen nuclear weapons was
destroyed by operations coordinated from my control center in Tel Aviv.

(20:22):
The assassination of doctor Mohsen Rahemi in November twenty twenty
had been designed to prevent nuclear war. Instead, it triggered
an investigation that exposed our intelligence network, accelerated Iranian weapons development,
and led to the military conflict we'd hope to avoid.
Sometimes preventing catastrophe creates the conditions for different catastrophe. Sometimes

(20:44):
eliminating threats generates new threats. Sometimes the mathematics of prevention
and cure become indistinguishable. I keep a photograph of Captain
Amri on my desk, not his official Iranian intelligence portrait,
but are from a childhood's soccer team he'd played on
with Doctor Rahimi, two boys who would grow up to

(21:06):
serve their country in different ways, united by friendship and
separated by the wars their nations fought. In the shadows
next to it, I keep doctor Rahimi's final research notes,
recovered from the scene of his assassination, Calculations for uranium
enrichment processes that could have powered Iranian cities or destroyed

(21:26):
Israeli ones, the same equations, dependent only on the intentions
of the people using them. Captain Emir spent five years
seeking justice for his friend's murder. He never discovered that
his friend had been developing weapons capable of murdering millions.
He just knew that good men were dying for reasons
he needed to understand. Next time, I'll tell you about

(21:47):
the infiltration networks we built while Amiri was hunting us.
How we smuggled weapons and operatives into Iran piece by piece,
preparing for the operation that would ultimately consume everyone who
made it possible. Some hunts take years to complete, some
hunters become the prey, and some equations balance only after
everyone who calculated them is gone. But the real mathematics

(22:10):
of Operation Rising Lion were just beginning.

Speaker 1 (22:24):
This episode is a production of Caloroga Shark Media executive
producers Mark Francis and John McDermott. For more shows like
this based on real world events, please go to Caloroga
dot com. The link is in the show notes. AI
production assistance may have been used in this series.