South Korea on Wednesday denounced the assassination of a leading Iranian nuclear scientist as a criminal act that does not help bring stability and peace in the region.

The foreign ministry's comment came after Mohsen Fakhrizadeh, a nuclear weapons expert, was killed in a bomb and gun attack on a road outside Tehran last week, amplifying tensions between Iran and neighboring nations.

"We stress that this kind of violent criminal act is not conducive to stability and peace in the Middle Eastern region," ministry spokesperson Choi Young-sam said in a commentary.

"Given the uncertainties surrounding the situation in the Middle East, our government opposes any act that amplifies tensions and affects regional stability."

Fakhrizadeh was known as the mastermind of the Islamic republic's nuclear programs. Tehran has accused Israel and Saudi Arabia of involvement in the killing. (Yonhap)