Inside Story

Spy or prisoner?

A look at the case of Shahram Amiri and Iran’s plan to develop a nuclear weapon.

The man some describe as an Iranian nuclear scientist, Shahram Amiri, has left the US.

The man had vanished over a year ago. Then he had suddenly reappeared with two completely contradictory stories about the events of his past year, triggering a propaganda war between the US and Iran.

The case has once again thrown sharp focus on the debate about Iran’s nuclear capabilities, and the extent to which some intelligence agencies could go to find out more about them.
 
Just what lies behind the case of Shahram Amiri? And could it cast some light on whether or not Iran is developing a nuclear weapon?
 
Inside Story, with presenter Mike Hanna, discusses with Ray McGovern, a former analyst at the Central Intelligence Agency (CIA), Mark Fitzpatrick, the director of the Non-Proliferation Programme in the International Institute for Strategic Studies (IISS), Seyed Mohammad Marandi, the head of North American Studies at Tehran University.

This episode of Inside Story aired from Wednesday, July 14, 2010.