Robot swarm in the battlespace may not be as far off as many think. Sure, many obstacles remain but we’re advancing at an amazing pace. Imagine these weaponized – with just enough intelligence and payload to find and kill a human target within a mile or two. The effect on battlefield tactics will be profound but it may have an even greater impact on policy. Going to war is only going to get easier – as long as the robots are on your side.

A similar bomb explosion on Jan. 12, 2010, killed Tehran University professor Masoud Ali Mohammadi, a senior physics professor. He was killed when a bomb-rigged motorcycle exploded near his car as he was about to leave for work.

In November 2010, a pair of back-to-back bomb attacks in different parts of the capital killed one nuclear scientist and wounded another.

The slain scientist, Majid Shahriari, was a member of the nuclear engineering faculty at Shahid Beheshti University in Tehran and cooperated with the Atomic Energy Organization of Iran. The wounded scientist, Fereidoun Abbasi, was almost immediately appointed head of Iran’s atomic agency.

And in July 2011, motorcycle-riding gunmen killed Darioush Rezaeinejad, an electronics student. Other reports identified him as a scientist involved in suspected Iranian attempts to make nuclear weapons.

Rezaeinejad allegedly participated in developing high-voltage switches, a key component in setting off the explosions needed to trigger a nuclear warhead.

Something to think about, especially for those constantly touting Iran’s theoretically fearsome international terror capabilities, is the obvious weakness underscored here. Someone has been dirt napping very important Iranians, on their own turf mind you, one after another. Iran has not been able to retaliate in any meaningful way and they also haven’t been able to protect these guys on their own territory. Perhaps they’re just quietly readying their fearsome array of two-stroke gas powered flying boats for an all out retaliatory assault…

Will these targeted killings slow down the Iranian nuclear program? That is highly unlikely this far in the game. However, they do send a powerful message, they definitely underscore the regime’s weaknesses, they eliminate some dangerous individuals, and they will hopefully discourage others from pursuing similar career paths. Just head over to Google, search on “Iranian scientist”, and look at the resulting images. Would you want that job?

Follow developments in Iran live with the Blogs of War Iran Monitor at http://iran.blogsofwar.com.

It’s difficult to predict how the case against him will now proceed. Mr Hekmati has a high profile and holds an American passport. A decision to go ahead with his execution may have an impact on tensions between Iran and the West – which have got worse in recent weeks.

Iranian officials said his cover was blown even before he had arrived in the country, because he had been spotted by Iranian agents at the US-run Bagram military air base in neighbouring Afghanistan.

On 18 December, Mr Hekmati was shown on Iranian state television allegedly confessing to being part of a plot to infiltrate Iran’s intelligence services for the CIA.

The appeal window is pretty small, 20 days, but it’s highly unlikely that the execution will proceed. Alive, Iran can use him for propaganda purposes or as a bargaining chip. Hekmati doesn’t strengthen their hand much but Iran is already in a terribly weak position. They’ll take any angle they can get. However, If they execute him little will be gained while tensions will go through the roof. So, I expect him to be just fine but in Iranian custody for quite some time.

Follow developments in Iran live with the Blogs of War Iran Monitor at http://iran.blogsofwar.com.