Whoa! This is a BIG deal in regards to Iran's attempts at getting nuclear weapons.
A key award winning scientist who went missing in Saudi Arabia and who, Iran accused of being tortured by US and blamed the US for "kidnapping", actually defected to the US Government and has been resettled in the United States.
Iranian Scientist Defects to the US
Here's the scoop according to ABC News:
The officials were said to have termed the defection of the scientist, Shahram Amiri, "an intelligence coup" in the continuing CIA operation to spy on and undermine Iran's nuclear program.
A spokesperson for the CIA declined to comment. In its declassified annual report to Congress, the CIA said, "Iran is keeping open the option to develop nuclear weapons though we do not know whether Tehran eventually will decide to produce nuclear weapons."
Amiri, a nuclear physicist in his early 30s, went missing last June three days after arriving in Saudi Arabia on a pilgrimage, according to the Iranian government. He worked at Tehran's Malek Ashtar University, which is closely connected to Iran's Revolutionary Guard, according to the Associated Press.
Pretty much one of the few possible individuals who knew the inner workings of Iran's nuclear program defects to the US Government and helped to confirm specific examples of Iran's secret programs. Including the location at Qom, where in September, President Obama, Prime Minister Gordon Brown and President Nicholas Sarkozy, all gave a united front against the secrecy of the program.
Still, this is an intelligence coup that hasn't been achieved since the days of the Russians in the 80s.