JERUSALEM - Iran on Friday accused the Israeli government of kidnapping former Deputy Defense Minister Ali Reza Asghari who went missing in Istanbul, Turkey in 2006.According to the Haaretz newspaper, Iranian Deputy Foreign Minister in the Middle East and Commonwealth Affairs Mohammed Raouf Sheybani said that reports indicate that Ashgari was kidnapped by Israeli forces with the help of U.S. operatives.
Sheybani also called for the international community to take urgent action on the matter in order to locate the former deputy minister’s whereabouts. However, some speculate that Asghari was not kidnapped but defected to either the U.S., the U.K., Germany or Israel.
Asghari disappeared on December 9, 2006 during a visit to Istanbul. After passing by Syria, he arrived to his hotel in the Turkish capital and then went missing without a trace. Before being appointed as deputy minister, Asghari served as commander of the Al-Quds unit of the Revolutionary Guards.
Some theories indicate that Asghari told the intelligence agencies such as CIA, Mossad, MI-8 and German intelligence, a great deal of secret information who he possessed due to his high-ranking status among the Iranian security body.
In contrast, the Iranian government and Asghari’s wife claim that he would not have defected on his own free will but was kidnapped and demanded an investigation by Turkish authorities.
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