The Iranian government says it has evidence that one of its nuclear scientists was abducted and is being held in the US against his will. Shahram Amiri disappeared a year ago while on a pilgrimage to Saudi Arabia. A video broadcast by Iranian TV purports to show Mr Amiri saying he was kidnapped and is living in Arizona. Read more
On June 7, 2010, IRIB aired a video in which a man alleged to be Shahram Amiri, apparently from a place in the U.S. and recorded on April 5, 2010, told that he had been kidnapped by force in Saudi Arabia due to the combined effort of American and Saudi intelligence services. He further said that after being carried to the U.S., he had been tortured and pressured to publicly state that he had wilfully defected and that Iran had a secret nuclear weapon program. He called on international organizations and human rights groups to pressure U.S. for his release and expressed his wish to return to Iran. Another video has been released on YouTube, however, in which he claims to be happy in the U.S. and denies taking action against Iran. Read more