Missing Iranian scientist seeks refuge in Pakistan embassy

Iran's state radio said that a missing Iranian nuclear scientist had taken refuge in Pakistan's embassy in Washington.

TEHRAN: Iran's state radio said, on Tuesday, that a missing Iranian nuclear scientist, who Tehran says was kidnapped by the CIA, had taken refuge in Pakistan's embassy in Washington.

"A few hours ago Shahram Amiri took refuge at Iran's interest section at the Pakistan embassy in Washington, wanting to return to Iran immediately," state radio said. Iran and the United States cut diplomatic relations shortly after the country's 1979 Islamic revolution. The Pakistani embassy looks after Iran's interests in the United States.

Amiri, a university researcher working for Iran's Atomic Energy Organisation, disappeared during a pilgrimage to Saudi Arabia a year ago and Tehran accused Riyadh of handing him over to the United States, which Saudi Arabia has denied.

Iran summoned the Swiss ambassador to Tehran earlier this month and handed over documents which, it said, showed Amiri had been kidnapped by the United States. US interests in Tehran are handled by the Swiss embassy.

Confusing video footage of Amiri has been aired in the past weeks. In one video, a man identified as Amiri, said he had been taken to the United States and tortured. In another video that appeared on the Internet, a man also purporting to be the scientist said he was actually studying in the United States.

In a third video, a man describing himself as Amiri said he had fled from U.S. "agents" and was in hiding, urging human rights groups to help him return to Iran.