‘Missing’ Iranian scientist surfaces in Washington
An Iranian nuclear scientist, who Tehran claims was abducted by US forces, has been in the US by choice.
WASHINGTON:
An Iranian nuclear scientist, who Tehran claims was abducted by US forces, has been in the US by choice “for some time” and is “free to go,” the US State Department said on Tuesday.
“He’s been here for some time, I’m not going to specify for how long, but he has chosen to return,” State Department spokesperson Philip Crowley said. “He has been here on his free will and is obviously free to go. In fact, he was scheduled to travel to Iran yesterday and wasn’t able to make all the necessary arrangements to reach Iran through transit countries,” Crowley added.
Shahram Amiri surfaced at the Iranian Interests Section of the Pakistani embassy in Washington, which handles Iranian affairs in the US capital, on Tuesday.
He has claimed he was kidnapped by US spies last year, though US television network ABC reported in March that he had defected and was working with the Central Intelligence Agency. Iranian state media reported on Monday that Amiri had asked “for a quick return to Tehran”.
Amiri had earlier told the New York-based reporter of Iranian state television that the Americans had wanted to try to resolve the affair quietly but had failed, the channel’s website said. “After the release of my interview on the Internet and the disgrace for the American government over this abduction, they wanted to quietly return me to
Iran by some country’s airline, so that while denying the whole thing they can put a cap on the abduction,” Amiri said, adding that in the past 14 months he has been under intense “psychological pressure” and was constantly being watched by “armed people.”
Mostafa Rahmani, the head of the Iran section in the Pakistani embassy, said that according to Amiri if he had “extensive information of the [nuclear] programme, [Iranian officials] would not have allowed him to leave the country” last year.
Prior to his disappearance, Amiri worked in Tehran’s Malek Ashtar University of Technology which is believed to be close to Iran’s elite Revolutionary Guards.
Rahmani added his office was now making preparations to send the scientist to Iran.
Pakistan foreign ministry spokesman Abdul Basit had earlier confirmed Amiri was at the “Iranian interests section” which is located some distance from Islamabad’s mission in Washington.
Iranian officials have long maintained that Amiri was kidnapped by US agents from Saudi Arabia last year after he arrived for pilgrimage.
Published in The Express Tribune, July 14th, 2010.
An Iranian nuclear scientist, who Tehran claims was abducted by US forces, has been in the US by choice “for some time” and is “free to go,” the US State Department said on Tuesday.
“He’s been here for some time, I’m not going to specify for how long, but he has chosen to return,” State Department spokesperson Philip Crowley said. “He has been here on his free will and is obviously free to go. In fact, he was scheduled to travel to Iran yesterday and wasn’t able to make all the necessary arrangements to reach Iran through transit countries,” Crowley added.
Shahram Amiri surfaced at the Iranian Interests Section of the Pakistani embassy in Washington, which handles Iranian affairs in the US capital, on Tuesday.
He has claimed he was kidnapped by US spies last year, though US television network ABC reported in March that he had defected and was working with the Central Intelligence Agency. Iranian state media reported on Monday that Amiri had asked “for a quick return to Tehran”.
Amiri had earlier told the New York-based reporter of Iranian state television that the Americans had wanted to try to resolve the affair quietly but had failed, the channel’s website said. “After the release of my interview on the Internet and the disgrace for the American government over this abduction, they wanted to quietly return me to
Iran by some country’s airline, so that while denying the whole thing they can put a cap on the abduction,” Amiri said, adding that in the past 14 months he has been under intense “psychological pressure” and was constantly being watched by “armed people.”
Mostafa Rahmani, the head of the Iran section in the Pakistani embassy, said that according to Amiri if he had “extensive information of the [nuclear] programme, [Iranian officials] would not have allowed him to leave the country” last year.
Prior to his disappearance, Amiri worked in Tehran’s Malek Ashtar University of Technology which is believed to be close to Iran’s elite Revolutionary Guards.
Rahmani added his office was now making preparations to send the scientist to Iran.
Pakistan foreign ministry spokesman Abdul Basit had earlier confirmed Amiri was at the “Iranian interests section” which is located some distance from Islamabad’s mission in Washington.
Iranian officials have long maintained that Amiri was kidnapped by US agents from Saudi Arabia last year after he arrived for pilgrimage.
Published in The Express Tribune, July 14th, 2010.