WASHINGTON/TEHRAN – An Iranian nuclear scientist who vanished more than a year ago mysteriously turned up in Washington yesterday claiming to have been kidnapped. The US has denied he was held against his will and said he is free to leave.
Iran, which is locked in a standoff with the West over its suspected pursuit of nuclear weapons, has repeatedly accused the US Central Intelligence Agency (CIA) of abducting Shahram Amiri, who worked for Iran’s Atomic Energy Organisation.
Mr Amiri, who went missing during a pilgrimage to Saudi Arabia more than a year ago, appeared at the Iranian interests section of the Pakistani embassy, which represents Iran in the US as Tehran and Washington have no diplomatic relations.
A man claiming to be Mr Amiri has variously claimed in recent videos that he was kidnapped and tortured; that he was studying in the US; and that he had fled US “agents” and wanted human rights groups to help him return to Iran.
Yesterday, Mr Amiri was quoted by Iranian state TV as saying “my kidnapping was a disgraceful act” for the US. His comment fuelled speculation he may have had valuable intelligence about Iran’s nuclear programme.
In March, ABC News reported he defected and was helping the CIA. US officials yesterday said Mr Amiri had decided to return to Iran of his own volition.
The US accuses Iran of using its civil nuclear programme as a cover to develop weapons. Iran, which has been hit by four rounds of UN Security Council sanctions over the nuclear issue, says its programme is to generate power.
“My kidnapping was a disgraceful act for America . . . I was under enormous psychological pressure and supervision of armed agents in the past 14 months,” Mr Amiri, who is in his 30s, said in an interview on Iran’s state television. “Mr Amiri has been escorted by American forces to Iran’s interests section in Washington,” Iran’s PressTV said.
In June, the state department said the US had not kidnapped Mr Amiri but did not address whether another country might have abducted the man and turned him over.
Secretary of state Hillary Clinton told reporters: “Mr Amiri has been in the US of his own freewill and he is free to go.” She contrasted his situation with that of three US hikers in Iranian custody.
However, US officials denied they were looking to swap Mr Amiri for the three Americans arrested near the Iraq border about a year ago.
Shane Bauer (27), Sarah Shourd (31) and Josh Fattal (27) say they strayed over the border while hiking in the mountains of northern Iraq. – (Reuters)