Q&A
Suzanne Maloney, Aaron David Miller, Karim Sadjadpour
{
"authors": [
"Karim Sadjadpour"
],
"type": "legacyinthemedia",
"centerAffiliationAll": "dc",
"centers": [
"Carnegie Endowment for International Peace",
"Malcolm H. Kerr Carnegie Middle East Center"
],
"collections": [],
"englishNewsletterAll": "menaTransitions",
"nonEnglishNewsletterAll": "",
"primaryCenter": "Carnegie Endowment for International Peace",
"programAffiliation": "MEP",
"programs": [
"Middle East"
],
"projects": [],
"regions": [
"Middle East",
"Iran",
"Gulf"
],
"topics": [
"Nuclear Policy"
]
}
Source: Getty
In The Media
Curious Case of Missing Iranian Scientist
Although Iranian scientist Shahram Amiri has told conflicting stories regarding the nature of his time in the United States, his defection represents the growing dissatisfaction of the Iranian people towards the regime.
Published on Jul 14, 2010
Source: CBS News
Iranian scientist Shahram Amiri, who defected to the United States to provide information on the Iranian nuclear program, has recently alleged that he was kidnapped and tortured by the CIA. However, notes Karim Sadjadpour, “this narrative is undermined by that fact that Amiri was posting YouTube videos while he was ostensibly in CIA detention.” Amiri has also released a contradictory video where he suggested that he was actually in the United States to pursue his studies. Sadjadpour believes that Amiri choose to allege kidnapping and torture against the CIA to help the Iranian government save face. Amiri had been living in the United States for a year, while his wife and child were still in Iran under extreme pressure from the regime. Ultimately, Sadjadpour concludes, the primary factor for his return was due to this pressure on his family.
It is doubtful that Amiri was a major player in the Iranian nuclear program and he undoubtedly had no decision-making role. According to Sadjadpour, “the Iranian nuclear program is very compartmentalized” and this isolates people like Amiri from divulging much information. Yet Amiri’s defection does have significance. He represents the growing disaffection that Iranians feel with the regime. “There are thousands of people like Amiri that could be lured to outside,” notes Sadjadpour.
About the Author
Karim Sadjadpour
Senior Fellow, Middle East Program
Karim Sadjadpour is a senior fellow at the Carnegie Endowment for International Peace, where he focuses on Iran and U.S. foreign policy toward the Middle East.
- Iran Wanted to Survive the War. Now What?
- What’s Keeping the Iranian Regime in Power—for NowQ&A
Aaron David Miller, Karim Sadjadpour, Robin Wright
Recent Work
Carnegie does not take institutional positions on public policy issues; the views represented herein are those of the author(s) and do not necessarily reflect the views of Carnegie, its staff, or its trustees.
More Work from Carnegie Russia Eurasia Center
- Simmering U.S.-Iran Conflict Is Moscow’s Ideal OutcomeCommentary
Ongoing uncertainty in the Middle East allows Moscow to both increase its influence in Tehran and continue to enjoy the financial windfall of higher oil prices.
Nikita Smagin
- Multiple Wars Are Ruining Central Asia’s Efforts to Diversify Its Trade RoutesCommentary
This year’s wars have made alternative routes to transit through Russia no less risky for Central Asian countries.
Galiya Ibragimova
- What Does Nuclear Proliferation in East Asia Mean for Russia?Commentary
Troubled by the growing salience of nuclear debates in East Asia, Moscow has responded in its usual way: with condemnation and threats. But by exacerbating insecurity, Russia is forcing South Korea and Japan to consider radical security options.
James D.J. Brown
- Russia Is Meddling for Meddling’s Sake in the Middle EastCommentary
The Russian leadership wants to avoid a dangerous precedent in which it is squeezed out of Iran by the United States and Israel—and left powerless to respond in any meaningful way.
Nikita Smagin
- The Afghanistan–Pakistan War Poses Awkward Questions for RussiaCommentary
Not only does the fighting jeopardize regional security, it undermines Russian attempts to promote alternatives to the Western-dominated world order.
Ruslan Suleymanov
