U.S. Denies defection of Iran’s deputy defense minister
Wednesday, 7 March, 2007 @ 4:39 PM Yaliban
Beirut & Tehran - Iran's former deputy defense minister secretly defected to the United States last month and brought military secrets to the West, it was reported yesterday.
Ali Reza Asghari was not abducted - a claim that Iran is making - but instead sought asylum in America, senior Iranian sources told an influential Arab-language paper.
U.S. officials denied the report.
If he did defect, Asghari, 63, could provide a treasure trove of secrets about Iran's nuclear plans and its ties to Shiite militants in Iraq and Hezbollah guerrillas in Lebanon.
The retired general in the elite Revolutionary Guards vanished shortly after arriving in Istanbul on a private visit Feb. 7.
Israeli intelligence officials, who deny any involvement, said whatever happened to him must have been well planned in advance, with the cooperation of Turkish security.
His disappearance remained a secret until last weekend. Yesterday, Iran broke its silence.
The London-based newspaper Al-Sharq al-Awsat quoted senior Iranian sources as saying Asghari is headed for the United States "along with the secrets he carried."
But Iran claimed that Asghari didn't leave voluntarily.
"It is likely that Asghari has been abducted by the Western intelligence services," Iranian Gen. Esmaeil Ahmadi Moghaddam said.
Iranian officials said they were sending a delegation to Turkey to help with the investigation. Turkish officials said they had no information on Asghari's fate.
But Turkish media suggested he defected, apparently with the help of two foreigners who arranged for his hotel room.
The newspaper Milliyet added that Turkish intelligence officials believe Asghari opposed the fanatically anti-American government of President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad and had valuable secrets about Tehran's nuclear plans.
Menashe Amir, an Israeli analyst of Iranian affairs, said it appeared Asghari's "wife and children managed to leave Iran before his disappearance."
But a U.S. intelligence official insisted Asghari was not in the United States or headed here.
"We don't have him," the source told The Post.
Britain's Daily Telegraph suggested Israel's Mossad agents had abducted Asghari in an effort to solve another mystery, the fate of Israeli airman Ron Arad.
Arad was captured by Hezbollah after bailing out over southern Lebanon in 1986 and reportedly was transferred to Iran. Asghari was a key liaison between Iran and Hezbollah at the time.
Sources: New York post
Hella
ReplyDeleteBella
bobalharb,
Given your special feelings (scroll down):
Some things will never die, Man!
c/o Grouchy Old Cripple
Joke of the day:
ReplyDeleteThe Difference Between Republicans and Democrats
A Republican and a Democrat were walking down the
street when they came to a homeless person. The Republican
gave the homeless person his business card and told him to
come to his business for a job. He then took twenty dollars
out of his pocket and gave it to the homeless person.
The Democrat was very impressed, and when they came to
another homeless person, he decided to help. He walked
over to the homeless person and gave him directions to the
welfare office. He then reached into the Republican's pocket
and got out twenty dollars. He kept $15 for administrative
fees and gave the homeless person five.
Now you understand the difference between Republicans & Democrats.
sam,
ReplyDelete;-D
Back to the General...
ReplyDeleteIf he defected I hope he is helping the Israelis & USA with targeting info, plus the location of ron arad and the other 2 kidnapped israelis...
since his family had already left, sounds like he defected..
IF he defected, i hope the leadership in Iran are shooting crap out the back of their asses right about now...
Richard Land, head of public policy for the Southern Baptist Convention, told The Associated Press that evangelicals believe the former New York City mayor showed a lack of character during his divorce from his second wife, television personality Donna Hanover.
ReplyDelete"I mean, this is divorce on steroids," Land said. "To publicly humiliate your wife in that way, and your children. That's rough. I think that's going to be an awfully hard sell, even if he weren't pro-choice and pro-gun control."
Giuliani married his longtime companion, Judith Nathan, in 2003. They had dated publicly while Giuliani was married to Hanover.
His first marriage ended in an annulment.
Divorce a Problem
Iranian generals are not the only defectors:
ReplyDelete“A non-Presbyterian former US sailor from Phoenix has been arrested for passing classified information to Al Qaeda…”
Ex-Sailor Arrested for Spying for Al Qaeda
Link
sam,
ReplyDeletere: I think that's going to be an awfully hard sell, even if he weren't pro-choice and pro-gun control."
Not to mention that little matter of the anti-Christ!
Allen,
ReplyDeleteAnti-Christ?
Please fill me in.
Obama, a Democrat, has opposed the war from the start. It’s pretty hard to believe he thinks those lives were anything but wasted.
ReplyDeleteMcCain, a Republican, has supported both the war and the new surge in troops. But he’s talked a lot about the mistakes made in Iraq.
And he clearly feels that those errors have led to some needless deaths...some of our best and brightest who went long before their time.
And just as amazing, both of these guys like to claim that they’re a different sort of politician—that they believe in straight talk, that they’re not part of the Washington spin cycle.
Why Apologize?
Sam said...
ReplyDelete"Allen,
Anti-Christ?
Please fill me in. "
---
Likewise
Anti-Christ is one who in every respect stands in opposition to the plan of Christ. They are often fierce, brutal, and single-minded, vigorously working outside the tenents of Christianity to hobble the Christian message.
ReplyDeleteA thourough bad-ass.
Bubba ain't so bad.
ReplyDelete(as in bad-ass)
Another Libby Juror Clip
ReplyDeleteNew York Times Special Section for Rufus!
ReplyDeleteFormer Mossad director Danny Yatom, who is now a member of Israel's parliament, said he believes Asgari defected to the West. "He is very high-caliber," Yatom said.
ReplyDelete"He held a very, very senior position for many long years in Lebanon. He was in effect commander of the Revolutionary Guards" there.
Ram Igra, a former Mossad officer, said Asgari spent much of the 1980s and 1990s overseeing Iran's efforts to support, finance, arm and train Hezbollah. The State Department lists the Shiite Lebanese group as a terrorist organization.
Talking to Western Intelligence
Elaborate mis-information campaign by Iran?
ReplyDeletePutting him out there on purpose and instructing him to make false claims?
Nah. Probably not. Just thinking out loud here.
Last thing I saw said it was confirmed by a US official that we had him.
ReplyDelete