Iran’s state-aligned Press TV has revived the mystery over the death of Dr. Ali Ahsanian, an Iranian AI specialist it described as Tehran’s “AI pioneer,” and blamed Israel’s Mossad without presenting evidence. The channel said Ahsanian died in Nice, France, on March 28, and that his body was brought back to Iran and buried in his hometown of Jahrom in Fars Province about six weeks later, on June 11.
Press TV said the cause of death remains under investigation, but it asserted that “all evidence points to Mossad,” which it accused of systematically assassinating young Iranian scientists for years. The report said Ahsanian held a doctorate in electrical engineering, earned a bachelor’s degree from Amirkabir University in 2015, completed two master’s degrees there in 2018, and had served in Iran’s Defense Ministry between 2018 and 2020. His expertise reportedly included artificial intelligence, machine learning, and next generation wireless networks, fields the outlet said could have military uses.
The Iranian Foreign Ministry also weighed in. Spokesman Esmail Baghai, speaking on May 4, 2026, called the death “very bitter,” said it happened in April rather than March, and said Iran was following the case through its embassy and the French embassy in Tehran. He linked it to two other killings of Iranian citizens in France and raised concerns about “racism and acts of terror.”
Press TV claimed French police had not publicly named Ahsanian or confirmed a murder probe, and said prosecutors had not announced charges or identified suspects. It also said major newspapers had ignored the case. The outlet argued that his profile matched the kind of target it says Israeli intelligence seeks out, and suggested his prior Defense Ministry work and potential dual-use knowledge could have made him of interest abroad. There is no independent confirmation of the Mossad allegation.
