Ali-Reza Asgari
Encyclopedia
Brigadier General
Ali-Reza Asgari (1 November 1952) was an Iran
ian general of the Islamic Revolutionary Guards Corps
, deputy defense minister, and cabinet member of Iranian President Mohammad Khatami
.
Asgari had been "pushed aside" from his ministerial role after President Ahmadinejad, a former rival, came in to power in 2005. Asgari disappeared in Turkey
in early 2007, and news reports indicate that he either defected or was kidnapped by Western intelligence agencies. His disappearance has also led to reports that Iran would retaliate by kidnapping American or Israeli officials in Europe. According to The Sunday Times
, Asgari was described as a "gold mine for western intelligence" by an Israeli defence source who claimed that they had been following him since the 1980s.
, a town in Esfahan province, Iran On 1 November 1952. Asgari was married to Ziba Ahmadi and Zahra Abdollahpour and had five children.
and during the 1990s he was the top Iranian intelligence official in Lebanon, where he worked with the Shia militant group Hezbollah (a group considered a terrorist organization by the United States
and the European Union
). One report said that during this time Asgari was involved in the alleged transfer of captured Israeli pilot Ron Arad
to Iran. The Israeli website Debkafile claims that Asgari ran Iranian operations in Iraq
, and is linked to the January 20, 2007 Karbala provincial headquarters raid
.
, Asgari was recruited as a spy in 2003 during a business trip; however, it is not known what Western intelligence agency recruited him. He decided to defect once it was suspected by the Iranian VEVAK
that he was a mole
.
, Turkey
after flying in from Damascus
, Syria
. One report said that he had been in Syria to discuss production of military equipment, and his trip to Turkey was to meet with a European arms dealer. This was challenged by a woman in Tehran who claimed she was Asgari's wife, and who said that Asgari flew to Istanbul on December 7 and disappeared on December 9. She also said that "He [Asgari] was doing business in olive oil in Syria."
Reports say that two other people had reserved a room for Asgari at the Ceylan Hotel in Istanbul for three nights, but that after arriving Asgari reserved a room at the cheaper Hotel Ghilan. It is not clear if he ever checked into the hotel, and a later report suggested that no such hotel exists.
Some Arab diplomats told the media that Asgari was kidnapped by the U.S. CIA
and/or Israel
i Mossad
. On March 6, a top Iranian police chief confirmed that kidnapping was a possibility.
Reports say that Iran sent several defense officials to Turkey to discuss the matter during the last week of February, and also asked Interpol
to investigate the case. Because of claims that Israel was behind the disappearance, security was boosted for Israeli embassies and senior officials abroad. On March 6 the Turkish Foreign Minister said that Turkey was conducting "an extremely broad investigation."
According to the Islamic republic state-run newspaper Iran, Asgari was captured by a joint team of Mossad and CIA and then tortured by them. This claim of torture was denied by a source in the Iranian military, who said that the Iranians have no information on his current situation.
In an interview with Fars News, Asgari's daughter said that "I'm sure that United States and Israel have kidnapped him".
The Israeli paper Haaretz
first reported that Asgari may have defected
. This was echoed by a report in Asharq Alawsat
, which stated that Asgari defected to the United States. That same paper reported on March 7 that Asgari was being questioned in northern Europe (later reported as a NATO base in Germany
and specifically Rhein-Main Air Base
) before eventually being moved to the US. However, a US intelligence official told The New York Post "We don't have him."
Asgari may have been able to leave Turkey under a different passport.
On March 8 The Washington Post
said that Asgari was willingly cooperating with Western intelligence officials, and was providing information on Hezbollah and its Iranian connections. Among other things, this included information regarding the 1983 Beirut barracks bombing
. Asgari also smuggled out intelligence documents and maps that detail Iranian involvement with Muslim militia groups, including Hezbollah, Islamic Jihad in Palestine
, and the Iraqi Mahdi army
and Badr Organization
. A US intelligence official said that his defection was "orchestrated by the Israelis", although Israeli spokesman Mark Regev
denied this. The New York Post
reported that an Iranian dissident group helped plan the defection and is negotiating with Western intelligence agencies for a "permanent place of exile".
On March 12 the German Minister of Defense, Franz Josef Jung
, was asked about the disappearance during a visit to Ankara
, Turkey. Jung answered, "I cannot say anything on this issue."
According to The Sunday Telegraph, Asgari's defection was part of a CIA program called "the Brain Drain", which began in 2005 and later netted Iranian nuclear scientist Shahram Amiri
.
Iranian sources and Associated Press reports say that Asgari was kidnapped by the Mossad with the help of other western intelligence agencies. An Israeli source quoted in Tikun Olam (blog)
, claims he is Prisoner X held incommunicado in Israel's Ayalon Prison. The report, if true, would support the notion that Asgari was kidnapped by Israeli operatives in Istanbul. Another argument against the defection theory is that original claims were that his family left Iran to be with him when he defected. Recent reports in the Iranian media (translated and published in the Tikun Olam post above) contain statements by Asgari's family demanding that the Turkish government take stronger action to intercede with the Israelis to determine Asgari's whereabouts and get him released. These reports indicate his family remains in Iran. It would appear in Israel's interest to propose a story of Asgari's defection so as to relieve any pressure that might be brought to bear on Israel to account for his whereabouts.
. On March 12, Asgari's wife Ziba Ahmadi and daughter Elham lodged a complaint at the Turkish embassy in Tehran, saying that "He has not asked for political asylum and will never do." On March 19, ten relatives including another wife Zahra Abdollahpour again gathered at the Turkish embassy, and said that "It was America and Israel who did it but... [the] Turkish government is responsible and they should inform us about his situation as soon as possible."
In an interview on July 10 with the news agency Mehr
, Ziba Ahmadi said that 90% of the evidence points towards Israel being responsible for her husband's disappearance, although she has not received any information on him.
published an article detailing his own investigation in Turkey as to Asgari's disappearance. Miniter found that it is impossible to reserve a room at the Ceylan Hotel in cash (as was previously reported) and that no such "Hotel Ghilan" exists, although it may have been a mispronunciation of "Hotel Divan", just across the street from the Ceylan. Miniter spoke with Professor Hasan Koni of the American Studies program at Bahcesehir University
, who said that senior Turkish generals were angry at not being told which ally had taken Asgari, and that the identity of this country was a hot debate among "military, intelligence, and police circles."
expanded upon this reporting in his book The Secret War with Iran, in which he stated that Asgari had not only supplied the information regarding lasers, but had also revealed that a second site for centrifuges had been built near the principal Natanz site, and that a Syrian nuclear program, developed with North Korean help, was being paid for by Iran.
In December 2007 when the US intelligence community released the findings of an NIE stating that Iran had stopped its secret nuclear weapons program in 2003 (as opposed to the 2005 NIE which said they were continuing), some observers suspected that Asgari played some role in providing intelligence or prompting the reassessment; however, current officials have said that there was no single thing which prompted the reversal, though another source cited current diplomatic and security officials as saying that a defector was likely to be the cause of the new information.
, which reported that Asgari "gave Israel the intelligence on Syria's missile program needed for the Syrian airstrike." In March 2009, Neue Zürcher Zeitung
reported that after defecting, Asgari told the U.S. about the secret Syrian nuclear reactor, built in partnership with North Korea and with Iranian financing. This was reportedly the first time the U.S. and Israel were alerted of the project.
, an Iranian human rights activist who lives in Germany, was detained at Ataturk International Airport
after an Iranian official requested that he be deported to Iran. According to the Iranians, he had played a role in Asgari's defection.
In an interview with Newsmax, Ebrahimi explained that he and Asgari had met in the mid-1990s when they worked at Iran's embassy in Beirut
. When Asgari was on his trip in Syria in 2007, he called Ebrahimi in Germany to say that his special passport only had two days remaining and that he did not wish to go back to Iran; following Ebrahimi's advice, he rented a car, left his wife in Damascus to drive to Turkey, and paid US$1500 to a Turkish border guard to enter without a visa. Contacts of Ebrahimi's were said to meet him in rooms reserved at the Gilan hotel, but the meeting did not take place because of a police presence outside the hotel.
Asgari later reportedly communicated with Ebrahim from Washington, D.C.
and Texas
.
had said that "The United States should be accountable as it is directly or indirectly responsible for causing problems for Shahram Amiri, AliReza Asgari and Ardebili".
reported that a confidential source close to Israel's Defense Minister Ehud Barak
confirmed that Asgari had committed suicide in Ayalon Prison two weeks earlier. The blog also noted a Haaretz report published the same date, which acknowledged the murder of a security prisoner "in order to silence him" while in captivity. Considering that the entire episode was under a gag order, it was difficult for Israeli media to report explicitly about it. But based on this evidence, Tikun Olam claimed that Asgari had likely been murdered by security forces while in Ayalon Prison. Iranian media also reported statements by the Iranian defense and foreign ministries that he had died in an Israeli jail.
Brigadier General
Brigadier general is a senior rank in the armed forces. It is the lowest ranking general officer in some countries, usually sitting between the ranks of colonel and major general. When appointed to a field command, a brigadier general is typically in command of a brigade consisting of around 4,000...
Ali-Reza Asgari (1 November 1952) was an Iran
Iran
Iran , officially the Islamic Republic of Iran , is a country in Southern and Western Asia. The name "Iran" has been in use natively since the Sassanian era and came into use internationally in 1935, before which the country was known to the Western world as Persia...
ian general of the Islamic Revolutionary Guards Corps
Islamic Revolutionary Guards Corps
The Army of the Guardians of the Islamic Revolution , often called Revolutionary Guards, is a branch of Iran's military, founded after the Iranian revolution...
, deputy defense minister, and cabinet member of Iranian President Mohammad Khatami
Mohammad Khatami
Sayyid Mohammad Khātamī is an Iranian scholar, philosopher, Shiite theologian and Reformist politician. He served as the fifth President of Iran from August 2, 1997 to August 3, 2005. He also served as Iran's Minister of Culture in both the 1980s and 1990s...
.
Asgari had been "pushed aside" from his ministerial role after President Ahmadinejad, a former rival, came in to power in 2005. Asgari disappeared in Turkey
Turkey
Turkey , known officially as the Republic of Turkey , is a Eurasian country located in Western Asia and in East Thrace in Southeastern Europe...
in early 2007, and news reports indicate that he either defected or was kidnapped by Western intelligence agencies. His disappearance has also led to reports that Iran would retaliate by kidnapping American or Israeli officials in Europe. According to The Sunday Times
The Sunday Times
The Sunday Times is a British Sunday newspaper.The Sunday Times may also refer to:*The Sunday Times *The Sunday Times *The Sunday Times *The Sunday Times...
, Asgari was described as a "gold mine for western intelligence" by an Israeli defence source who claimed that they had been following him since the 1980s.
Personal information
Ali Reza Asgari was born in ArdestanArdestan
Ardestan is a city in and the capital of Ardestan County, Isfahan Province, Iran. At the 2006 census, its population was 14,698, in 4,077 families....
, a town in Esfahan province, Iran On 1 November 1952. Asgari was married to Ziba Ahmadi and Zahra Abdollahpour and had five children.
Military and intelligence career
In the 1980s Asgari was commander of the Revolutionary Guard in LebanonLebanon
Lebanon , officially the Republic of LebanonRepublic of Lebanon is the most common term used by Lebanese government agencies. The term Lebanese Republic, a literal translation of the official Arabic and French names that is not used in today's world. Arabic is the most common language spoken among...
and during the 1990s he was the top Iranian intelligence official in Lebanon, where he worked with the Shia militant group Hezbollah (a group considered a terrorist organization by the United States
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
and the European Union
European Union
The European Union is an economic and political union of 27 independent member states which are located primarily in Europe. The EU traces its origins from the European Coal and Steel Community and the European Economic Community , formed by six countries in 1958...
). One report said that during this time Asgari was involved in the alleged transfer of captured Israeli pilot Ron Arad
Ron Arad (pilot)
Lieutenant Colonel Ron Arad , was an Israeli Air Force weapon systems officer who is officially classified as missing in action since October 1986, but is widely presumed dead...
to Iran. The Israeli website Debkafile claims that Asgari ran Iranian operations in Iraq
Iraq
Iraq ; officially the Republic of Iraq is a country in Western Asia spanning most of the northwestern end of the Zagros mountain range, the eastern part of the Syrian Desert and the northern part of the Arabian Desert....
, and is linked to the January 20, 2007 Karbala provincial headquarters raid
Karbala provincial headquarters raid
The raid of the Karbala provincial headquarters was an infiltration attack carried out on 20 January 2007 by insurgent commandos, with possible Iranian involvement, on a meeting of U.S. and Iraqi officials at the governor's compound in Karbala to discuss security for the Shia ceremony of Ashoura...
.
Spying
According to The Sunday TimesThe Sunday Times (UK)
The Sunday Times is a Sunday broadsheet newspaper, distributed in the United Kingdom. The Sunday Times is published by Times Newspapers Ltd, a subsidiary of News International, which is in turn owned by News Corporation. Times Newspapers also owns The Times, but the two papers were founded...
, Asgari was recruited as a spy in 2003 during a business trip; however, it is not known what Western intelligence agency recruited him. He decided to defect once it was suspected by the Iranian VEVAK
Ministry of Intelligence (Iran)
The Ministry of Intelligence and National Security of the Islamic Republic of Iran is the secret police and primary intelligence agency of the Islamic Republic of Iran...
that he was a mole
Mole (espionage)
A mole is a spy who works for an enemy nation, but whose loyalty ostensibly lies with his own nation's government. In some usage, a mole differs from a defector in that a mole is a spy before gaining access to classified information, while a defector becomes a spy only after gaining access...
.
Disappearance
Asgari disappeared on February 7, 2007 in IstanbulIstanbul
Istanbul , historically known as Byzantium and Constantinople , is the largest city of Turkey. Istanbul metropolitan province had 13.26 million people living in it as of December, 2010, which is 18% of Turkey's population and the 3rd largest metropolitan area in Europe after London and...
, Turkey
Turkey
Turkey , known officially as the Republic of Turkey , is a Eurasian country located in Western Asia and in East Thrace in Southeastern Europe...
after flying in from Damascus
Damascus
Damascus , commonly known in Syria as Al Sham , and as the City of Jasmine , is the capital and the second largest city of Syria after Aleppo, both are part of the country's 14 governorates. In addition to being one of the oldest continuously inhabited cities in the world, Damascus is a major...
, Syria
Syria
Syria , officially the Syrian Arab Republic , is a country in Western Asia, bordering Lebanon and the Mediterranean Sea to the West, Turkey to the north, Iraq to the east, Jordan to the south, and Israel to the southwest....
. One report said that he had been in Syria to discuss production of military equipment, and his trip to Turkey was to meet with a European arms dealer. This was challenged by a woman in Tehran who claimed she was Asgari's wife, and who said that Asgari flew to Istanbul on December 7 and disappeared on December 9. She also said that "He [Asgari] was doing business in olive oil in Syria."
Reports say that two other people had reserved a room for Asgari at the Ceylan Hotel in Istanbul for three nights, but that after arriving Asgari reserved a room at the cheaper Hotel Ghilan. It is not clear if he ever checked into the hotel, and a later report suggested that no such hotel exists.
Some Arab diplomats told the media that Asgari was kidnapped by the U.S. CIA
Central Intelligence Agency
The Central Intelligence Agency is a civilian intelligence agency of the United States government. It is an executive agency and reports directly to the Director of National Intelligence, responsible for providing national security intelligence assessment to senior United States policymakers...
and/or Israel
Israel
The State of Israel is a parliamentary republic located in the Middle East, along the eastern shore of the Mediterranean Sea...
i Mossad
Mossad
The Mossad , short for HaMossad leModi'in uleTafkidim Meyuchadim , is the national intelligence agency of Israel....
. On March 6, a top Iranian police chief confirmed that kidnapping was a possibility.
Reports say that Iran sent several defense officials to Turkey to discuss the matter during the last week of February, and also asked Interpol
Interpol
Interpol, whose full name is the International Criminal Police Organization – INTERPOL, is an organization facilitating international police cooperation...
to investigate the case. Because of claims that Israel was behind the disappearance, security was boosted for Israeli embassies and senior officials abroad. On March 6 the Turkish Foreign Minister said that Turkey was conducting "an extremely broad investigation."
According to the Islamic republic state-run newspaper Iran, Asgari was captured by a joint team of Mossad and CIA and then tortured by them. This claim of torture was denied by a source in the Iranian military, who said that the Iranians have no information on his current situation.
In an interview with Fars News, Asgari's daughter said that "I'm sure that United States and Israel have kidnapped him".
Defection versus kidnapping
There has been vivid debate in the media about the question of whether Asgari defected to the west or was kidnapped.The Israeli paper Haaretz
Haaretz
Haaretz is Israel's oldest daily newspaper. It was founded in 1918 and is now published in both Hebrew and English in Berliner format. The English edition is published and sold together with the International Herald Tribune. Both Hebrew and English editions can be read on the Internet...
first reported that Asgari may have defected
Defection
In politics, a defector is a person who gives up allegiance to one state or political entity in exchange for allegiance to another. More broadly, it involves abandoning a person, cause or doctrine to whom or to which one is bound by some tie, as of allegiance or duty.This term is also applied,...
. This was echoed by a report in Asharq Alawsat
Asharq Alawsat
Asharq Al-Awsat is an Arabic international newspaper headquartered in London. A pioneer of the "off-shore" model in the Arabic press, the paper is often noted for its distinctive green-tinted pages....
, which stated that Asgari defected to the United States. That same paper reported on March 7 that Asgari was being questioned in northern Europe (later reported as a NATO base in Germany
Germany
Germany , officially the Federal Republic of Germany , is a federal parliamentary republic in Europe. The country consists of 16 states while the capital and largest city is Berlin. Germany covers an area of 357,021 km2 and has a largely temperate seasonal climate...
and specifically Rhein-Main Air Base
Rhein-Main Air Base
Rhein-Main Air Base was a U.S. Air Force / NATO military airbase near the city of Frankfurt am Main, Germany. It occupied the south side of Frankfurt International Airport. Its airport codes are discontinued....
) before eventually being moved to the US. However, a US intelligence official told The New York Post "We don't have him."
Asgari may have been able to leave Turkey under a different passport.
On March 8 The Washington Post
The Washington Post
The Washington Post is Washington, D.C.'s largest newspaper and its oldest still-existing paper, founded in 1877. Located in the capital of the United States, The Post has a particular emphasis on national politics. D.C., Maryland, and Virginia editions are printed for daily circulation...
said that Asgari was willingly cooperating with Western intelligence officials, and was providing information on Hezbollah and its Iranian connections. Among other things, this included information regarding the 1983 Beirut barracks bombing
1983 Beirut barracks bombing
The Beirut Barracks Bombing occurred during the Lebanese Civil War, when two truck bombs struck separate buildings housing United States and French military forces—members of the Multinational Force in Lebanon—killing 299 American and French servicemen...
. Asgari also smuggled out intelligence documents and maps that detail Iranian involvement with Muslim militia groups, including Hezbollah, Islamic Jihad in Palestine
Islamic Jihad Movement in Palestine
The Islamic Jihad Movement in Palestine known in the West as simply Palestinian Islamic Jihad , is a small Palestinian militant organization. The group has been labelled as a terrorist group by the United States, the European Union, the United Kingdom, Japan, Canada, Australia and Israel...
, and the Iraqi Mahdi army
Mahdi Army
The Mahdi Army, also known as the Mahdi Militia or Jaish al-Mahdi , was an Iraqi paramilitary force created by the Iraqi Shia cleric Muqtada al-Sadr in June 2003....
and Badr Organization
Badr Organization
The Badr Organization previously known as the Badr Brigades or Badr Corps is an Iraqi political party headed by Hadi al-Amiri...
. A US intelligence official said that his defection was "orchestrated by the Israelis", although Israeli spokesman Mark Regev
Mark Regev
Mark Regev , formerly Mark Freiberg, is an Australian-born Israeli diplomat and media spokesman. He is currently the spokesman for the Prime Minister of Israel and an advisor on foreign press and public affairs, a position he has held since his appointment by the former Prime Minister Ehud Olmert...
denied this. The New York Post
New York Post
The New York Post is the 13th-oldest newspaper published in the United States and is generally acknowledged as the oldest to have been published continuously as a daily, although – as is the case with most other papers – its publication has been periodically interrupted by labor actions...
reported that an Iranian dissident group helped plan the defection and is negotiating with Western intelligence agencies for a "permanent place of exile".
On March 12 the German Minister of Defense, Franz Josef Jung
Franz Josef Jung
Franz Josef Jung is a German politician of the Christian Democratic Union . He became Federal Minister of Defence in the Grand coalition cabinet of Angela Merkel on 22 November 2005...
, was asked about the disappearance during a visit to Ankara
Ankara
Ankara is the capital of Turkey and the country's second largest city after Istanbul. The city has a mean elevation of , and as of 2010 the metropolitan area in the entire Ankara Province had a population of 4.4 million....
, Turkey. Jung answered, "I cannot say anything on this issue."
According to The Sunday Telegraph, Asgari's defection was part of a CIA program called "the Brain Drain", which began in 2005 and later netted Iranian nuclear scientist Shahram Amiri
Shahram Amiri
Shahram Amiri is an Iranian nuclear scientist who disappeared from Iran for a little over a year under disputed circumstances. In the spring of 2009, he disappeared while apparently on pilgrimage to Mecca, Saudi Arabia. About a year later two videos appeared, each purporting to be declarations by...
.
Iranian sources and Associated Press reports say that Asgari was kidnapped by the Mossad with the help of other western intelligence agencies. An Israeli source quoted in Tikun Olam (blog)
Tikun Olam (blog)
Tikun Olam is a Seattle-based political blog, which regularly reports on Israeli security matters, and is known to have good sources in Israel's military community...
, claims he is Prisoner X held incommunicado in Israel's Ayalon Prison. The report, if true, would support the notion that Asgari was kidnapped by Israeli operatives in Istanbul. Another argument against the defection theory is that original claims were that his family left Iran to be with him when he defected. Recent reports in the Iranian media (translated and published in the Tikun Olam post above) contain statements by Asgari's family demanding that the Turkish government take stronger action to intercede with the Israelis to determine Asgari's whereabouts and get him released. These reports indicate his family remains in Iran. It would appear in Israel's interest to propose a story of Asgari's defection so as to relieve any pressure that might be brought to bear on Israel to account for his whereabouts.
Family
Several sources say that some of Asgari's family left Iran before he defected, possibly under the guise of a vacation. One article said that 10 close family members left, including two sons and a daughter. This has been contradicted by Farda News, which said his wife and children were still in TehranTehran
Tehran , sometimes spelled Teheran, is the capital of Iran and Tehran Province. With an estimated population of 8,429,807; it is also Iran's largest urban area and city, one of the largest cities in Western Asia, and is the world's 19th largest city.In the 20th century, Tehran was subject to...
. On March 12, Asgari's wife Ziba Ahmadi and daughter Elham lodged a complaint at the Turkish embassy in Tehran, saying that "He has not asked for political asylum and will never do." On March 19, ten relatives including another wife Zahra Abdollahpour again gathered at the Turkish embassy, and said that "It was America and Israel who did it but... [the] Turkish government is responsible and they should inform us about his situation as soon as possible."
In an interview on July 10 with the news agency Mehr
Mehr
Mehr, or Mihr may refer to:Hindu / Zoroastrian names* Mehr, an alternative name for Mithra, a Hindu / Zoroastrian divinity* Mehr , the seventh month of the year and the sixteenth day of the month of the Iranian Calendar and Zoroastrian calendar, which are dedicated to the namesake divinity* Mehr's...
, Ziba Ahmadi said that 90% of the evidence points towards Israel being responsible for her husband's disappearance, although she has not received any information on him.
2007 Iranian seizure
After 15 British navy personnel were seized by Iranian forces on March 23, 2007, some media reports suggested that the Iranian government wanted to trade them for Iranian personnel allegedly abducted, including Asgari.Follow-up investigation
In April 2007, journalist Richard MiniterRichard Miniter
Richard Miniter is an investigative journalist and author of two New York Times best-selling books, Losing bin Laden and Shadow War....
published an article detailing his own investigation in Turkey as to Asgari's disappearance. Miniter found that it is impossible to reserve a room at the Ceylan Hotel in cash (as was previously reported) and that no such "Hotel Ghilan" exists, although it may have been a mispronunciation of "Hotel Divan", just across the street from the Ceylan. Miniter spoke with Professor Hasan Koni of the American Studies program at Bahcesehir University
Bahçesehir University
Bahçeşehir University is a private educational institution in Turkey, on the European side of Istanbul. The Turkish National Assembly authorized the establishment of the University of Bahçeşehir by the Bahçeşehir Uğur Education Foundation in 1998. An academic and strategic protocol was signed...
, who said that senior Turkish generals were angry at not being told which ally had taken Asgari, and that the identity of this country was a hot debate among "military, intelligence, and police circles."
Nuclear information
In early July 2007 the Israeli newspaper Yediot Aharonot reported that Asgari told US interrogators that Iran is secretly attempting to enrich uranium with a combination of lasers and chemicals at a weapons facility in Natanz; this would act as a backup if the publicly known facilities and activities were stopped by sanctions or military strikes. Israeli journalist Ronen BergmanRonen Bergman
Ronen Bergman is an Israeli investigative journalist and author. He is Currently a senior political and military analyst for Yedioth Ahronoth, Israel’s largest-circulation daily.Mr...
expanded upon this reporting in his book The Secret War with Iran, in which he stated that Asgari had not only supplied the information regarding lasers, but had also revealed that a second site for centrifuges had been built near the principal Natanz site, and that a Syrian nuclear program, developed with North Korean help, was being paid for by Iran.
In December 2007 when the US intelligence community released the findings of an NIE stating that Iran had stopped its secret nuclear weapons program in 2003 (as opposed to the 2005 NIE which said they were continuing), some observers suspected that Asgari played some role in providing intelligence or prompting the reassessment; however, current officials have said that there was no single thing which prompted the reversal, though another source cited current diplomatic and security officials as saying that a defector was likely to be the cause of the new information.
Operation Orchard
On September 28 the Kuwaiti newspaper Al Jareeda reported that Asgari provided information for the Israeli airstrike on September 6 in Syria, code-named Operation Orchard; this was echoed by the intelligence group StratforStratfor
Strategic Forecasting, Inc., more commonly known as STRATFOR, is a global intelligence company founded in 1996 in Austin, Texas by George Friedman who is the founder, chief intelligence officer, and CEO of the company...
, which reported that Asgari "gave Israel the intelligence on Syria's missile program needed for the Syrian airstrike." In March 2009, Neue Zürcher Zeitung
Neue Zürcher Zeitung
The Neue Zürcher Zeitung is a major German language Swiss daily newspaper based in Zurich.One of the oldest newspapers still published, it originally appeared as Zürcher Zeitung, edited by Salomon Gessner, from January 12, 1780, and was renamed to Neue Zürcher Zeitung in 1821...
reported that after defecting, Asgari told the U.S. about the secret Syrian nuclear reactor, built in partnership with North Korea and with Iranian financing. This was reportedly the first time the U.S. and Israel were alerted of the project.
Ebrahimi story
In late March 2008, Amir Farshad EbrahimiAmir Farshad Ebrahimi
Amir Farshad Ebrahimi is a former member of Quds Force of Army of the Guardians of the Islamic Revolution and is currently a peace and human rights activist living in Germany.-Paramilitary career:...
, an Iranian human rights activist who lives in Germany, was detained at Ataturk International Airport
Atatürk International Airport
Atatürk International Airport is the major international airport in Istanbul, Turkey. Opened in 1924 and located in Yeşilköy, on the European side of the city, it is west of the city centre. In 1980, the airport was renamed to Atatürk International Airport in honor of Mustafa Kemal Atatürk, the...
after an Iranian official requested that he be deported to Iran. According to the Iranians, he had played a role in Asgari's defection.
In an interview with Newsmax, Ebrahimi explained that he and Asgari had met in the mid-1990s when they worked at Iran's embassy in Beirut
Beirut
Beirut is the capital and largest city of Lebanon, with a population ranging from 1 million to more than 2 million . Located on a peninsula at the midpoint of Lebanon's Mediterranean coastline, it serves as the country's largest and main seaport, and also forms the Beirut Metropolitan...
. When Asgari was on his trip in Syria in 2007, he called Ebrahimi in Germany to say that his special passport only had two days remaining and that he did not wish to go back to Iran; following Ebrahimi's advice, he rented a car, left his wife in Damascus to drive to Turkey, and paid US$1500 to a Turkish border guard to enter without a visa. Contacts of Ebrahimi's were said to meet him in rooms reserved at the Gilan hotel, but the meeting did not take place because of a police presence outside the hotel.
Asgari later reportedly communicated with Ebrahim from Washington, D.C.
Washington, D.C.
Washington, D.C., formally the District of Columbia and commonly referred to as Washington, "the District", or simply D.C., is the capital of the United States. On July 16, 1790, the United States Congress approved the creation of a permanent national capital as permitted by the U.S. Constitution....
and Texas
Texas
Texas is the second largest U.S. state by both area and population, and the largest state by area in the contiguous United States.The name, based on the Caddo word "Tejas" meaning "friends" or "allies", was applied by the Spanish to the Caddo themselves and to the region of their settlement in...
.
2009 Iranian reports
On November 15, 2009, several Iranian websites reported details of a two-year Iranian investigation into the matter, which concluded that Asgari was kidnapped by the Israeli, British, and German intelligence agencies, and was currently being held in an Israeli jail. Earlier in October, Iranian Foreign Minister Manouchehr MottakiManouchehr Mottaki
Manouchehr Mottaki is an Iranian politician and diplomat. He was the Iranian Minister of Foreign Affairs. Whilst technically appointed by Mahmoud Ahmadinejad, he is considered to be closer to more pragmatic conservative factions and during the 2005 presidential election, he was the campaign...
had said that "The United States should be accountable as it is directly or indirectly responsible for causing problems for Shahram Amiri, AliReza Asgari and Ardebili".
Death reported
On 27 December 2010, the Tikun Olam (blog)Tikun Olam (blog)
Tikun Olam is a Seattle-based political blog, which regularly reports on Israeli security matters, and is known to have good sources in Israel's military community...
reported that a confidential source close to Israel's Defense Minister Ehud Barak
Ehud Barak
Ehud Barak is an Israeli politician who served as Prime Minister from 1999 until 2001. He was leader of the Labor Party until January 2011 and holds the posts of Minister of Defense and Deputy Prime Minister in Binyamin Netanyahu's government....
confirmed that Asgari had committed suicide in Ayalon Prison two weeks earlier. The blog also noted a Haaretz report published the same date, which acknowledged the murder of a security prisoner "in order to silence him" while in captivity. Considering that the entire episode was under a gag order, it was difficult for Israeli media to report explicitly about it. But based on this evidence, Tikun Olam claimed that Asgari had likely been murdered by security forces while in Ayalon Prison. Iranian media also reported statements by the Iranian defense and foreign ministries that he had died in an Israeli jail.
See also
- Shahram AmiriShahram AmiriShahram Amiri is an Iranian nuclear scientist who disappeared from Iran for a little over a year under disputed circumstances. In the spring of 2009, he disappeared while apparently on pilgrimage to Mecca, Saudi Arabia. About a year later two videos appeared, each purporting to be declarations by...