Former Iranian president says bomb attack on physics professor aimed at deepening crisis

Iran reformist says professor killing ‘terrorism’

TEHRAN, Iran — Iran’s former president and a leading opposition figure says the “ugly face of terrorism” is behind the bomb attack that killed a physics professor who had backed the nation’s opposition leader.

In a condolence message to the professor’s wife, Ayatollah Mohammad Khatami said the blast that killed Masoud Ali Mohammadi on Tuesday sought to deepen the nation’s unrest after the disputed elections in June.

Khatami has strongly backed the opposition. But the message posted Wednesday on his Web site did not specifically point the finger at any group for the attack.

Iranian authorities have blamed opposition militia which they say have links to Israel and the United States. The U.S. State Department has called the charges “absurd.”