Visit Indian Travel Sites
Goa,
Kerala,
Tamil Nadu,
Andhra Pradesh,
Delhi,
Rajasthan,
Uttar Pradesh,
Himachal Pradesh,
Assam,
Sikkim,
Madhya Pradesh,
Jammu & Kashmir
Karnataka
|
US paid Iran nuke scientist 5 million dollars for aid to CIA | Iranian nuclear scientist Shahram Amiri, who claimed to have been abducted by the CIA before departing for his homeland Wednesday, was paid over five million dollars
by the agency to provide intelligence on Iran's nuclear program, U.S. officials have claimed. Shahram Amiri is not obligated to return the money, but might be
unable to access it after breaking off what U.S. officials described as significant
cooperation with the CIA and abruptly returning to Iran. Officials said he might
have left out of concern that the Tehran government would harm his family. "Anything
he got is now beyond his reach, thanks to the financial sanctions on Iran," a
U.S. official said. The Washington Post further quoted the official, as saying:
"He's gone, but his money's not. We have his information, and the Iranians have
him." Amiri arrived in Tehran early Thursday to a hero's welcome, including personal
greetings from several senior government officials. His seven-year-old son broke
down in tears as Amiri held him for the first time since his mysterious disappearance
in Saudi Arabia 14 months ago. In brief remarks, Amiri told reporters, "I am so
happy to be back in the Islamic republic," and he repeated his claims of having
been abducted by U.S. agents. He said CIA agents had tried to pressure him into
making propaganda against his homeland and offered him $50 million to remain in
the United States. Amiri also said that he knew little of Iran's main nuclear
enrichment site. "I'm a simple researcher. A normal person would know more about
Natanz than me." Amiri's request this week to be sent home stunned U.S. officials,
who said he had been working with the CIA for more than a year. Whether the agency
received an adequate return on its investment in Amiri is difficult to assess.
The size of the payment might offer some measure of the value of the information
he shared. But it could also reflect a level of eagerness within the U.S. intelligence
community for meaningful information on Iran. The U.S. official said the payments
reflected the value of the information gleaned. "You don't give something for
nothing," he added. The transfer of millions of dollars into Amiri-controlled
accounts also seems to bolster the U.S. government's assertions that Amiri was
neither abducted nor brought to the United States against his will. Amiri, 32,
is known to have worked at Iran's Malek-e-Ashtar Industrial University, which
U.S. intelligence agencies think is linked to the nation's Revolutionary Guard
Corps, a powerful entity accused of activities ranging from weapons research to
supporting terrorist groups. According to the BBC, the scientist is not believed
to have had direct access to Iran's most sensitive nuclear sites or leaders involved
in decisions on whether to pursue a bomb. Still, officials said Amiri was valuable
in confirming information from other sources and providing details on multiple
nuclear facilities. |
|
|
|
|
|