Article

2007-03-05 Syria-Lebanon-Iran

Iran intelligence official said missing, may have defected

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Posted by Steve 2007-03-05 11:07|| || Front Page|| [11144 views since 2007-05-07] Top

#1 I'll take alien abduction for $200, Alex.

Posted by DanNY 2007-03-05 11:54|| 2007-03-05 11:54|| Front Page Top

#2 ...Don't forget that before OIF, we obtained the private cell numbers of more than a few of Saddam's generals, and sent a very quiet mass call: we are coming, you cannot stop us, but we will remember those who sat tight and did not try to block our way.
Consider for a moment if we have just done something similar to the Iranian leadership. NOBODY does SIGINT like we do, and if we wanted, we could get cell and landline numbers pretty easily. There have been a notable number of 'accidents' involving the Revolutionary Guards over the last few months, at least one top nuclear scientist has died under circumstances that can best be regarded as 'unusual', and several RG and Quds Force officers have been captured over the last month or so. If I was an Iranian general, I'd be worried. And if my cell phone rang with a message from Washington, I'd be inclined to consider it...

Mike

Posted by Mike Kozlowski 2007-03-05 12:06|| 2007-03-05 12:06|| Front Page Top

#3 I would like to hope that either by voluntary defection or by grabbing (see "snatch") him, he will provide oodles of useful data.

Posted by Anonymoose 2007-03-05 12:20|| 2007-03-05 12:20|| Front Page Top

#4 very interesting indeed.

Posted by liberalhawk 2007-03-05 13:01|| 2007-03-05 13:01|| Front Page Top

#5 Tehran, 5 March (AKI) - Iranian foreign minister Manouchehr Mottaki has asked Turkey to shed light on the disappearance in Istanbul last week of a retired Iranian general and former deputy-defence minister. General Ali Reza Asghari, 63, a former senior officer in Iran's Pasdaran, or Revolutionary Guard, and deputy defence minister for eight years until 2005, disappeared in the Turkish city after arriving there on a flight from Damascus. "We are awaiting clarity and an explanation from the Ankara government who we hold responsible for the ex-deputy minister's safety," Mottaki said on Monday.

Asghari was for several years the head of Iran's missile programme, and some Iranian media reports have alleged that he may have been abducted by US agents. According to these reports Asghari's name appeared on a CIA 'hit list' of 20 people involved in Iran's nuclear programme.

I'll light a candle hoping he defected. He'd be able to spill the beans on everything. Question is, why?

Posted by Steve 2007-03-05 13:10|| 2007-03-05 13:10|| Front Page Top

#6 I'll light a candle hoping he defected. He'd be able to spill the beans on everything. Question is, why?

So he doesn't get killed by whoever strikes Iran?

Posted by Mike N. 2007-03-05 13:33|| 2007-03-05 13:33|| Front Page Top

#7 Thank you for the update, Steve. My first reaction was, "Someone with the GPS coordinates for all of the nuclear R&D bunkers." Let us all hope that this is true. As to why? I'd wager several million dollars could serve as an answer to that

Posted by Zenster">Zenster 2007-03-05 16:17|| 2007-03-05 16:17|| Front Page Top

#8 Mr. Asgeri, my name is Mr. Black. This is Mr. White. We're here to take you to your new life in America. Welcome to freedom.

Posted by Chuck Simmins">Chuck Simmins 2007-03-05 16:29|| http://northshorejournal.org]">[http://northshorejournal.org] 2007-03-05 16:29|| Front Page Top

#9 Only problem with defection story -- family. Either he doesn't give a rat's ass about them, or they're out, too. At 63, he's not heading west for the night life and a new beginning.

Posted by Robert Crawford">Robert Crawford 2007-03-05 21:39|| http://www.kloognome.com/]">[http://www.kloognome.com/] 2007-03-05 21:39|| Front Page Top

#10 #9 Robert - Hunt for Red October situation, maybe?

(Fun to speculate, anyway. ;-p)

Posted by Barbara Skolaut">Barbara Skolaut 2007-03-05 21:54|| http://ariellestjohndesigns.com/page/15bk1/Home_Page.html]">[http://ariellestjohndesigns.com/page/15bk1/Home_Page.html] 2007-03-05 21:54|| Front Page Top

#11 It does sound like a defection.

People normally defected from the Soviet Union for personal reasons along with dissillusionment with the regime. Maybe his wife is dead and his kid is a heroin addict and hates him. That kind of thing.

Posted by phil_b 2007-03-05 22:20|| 2007-03-05 22:20|| Front Page Top

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22:27 DMFD
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