WASHINGTON — The Iranian nuclear scientist who claimed to have been abducted by the CIA before departing for his homeland Wednesday was paid more than $5 million by the agency to provide intelligence on Iran’s nuclear program, U.S. officials said.
Shahram Amiri is not obligated to return the money but might be unable to access it after breaking off what U.S. officials described as significant cooperation with the CIA and abruptly returning to Iran. Officials said he might have left out of concern that the Tehran government would harm his family.
“Anything he got is now beyond his reach, thanks to the financial sanctions on Iran,” a U.S. official said. “He’s gone, but his money’s not. We have his information, and the Iranians have him.”
Amiri arrived at the Iranian diplomatic mission in Washington this week and asked to be sent home. U.S. officials, who said Amiri had been working with the CIA for more than a year, were stunned by the decision.
Whether the agency received an adequate return on its investment in Amiri is difficult to assess. The size of the payment might offer some measure of the value of the information he shared. But it could also reflect a level of eagerness within the U.S. intelligence community for meaningful information on Iran.
The transfer of millions of dollars into Amiri-controlled accounts also seems to bolster the U.S. government’s assertions that Amiri was neither abducted nor brought to the United States against his will.
The payments are part of a clandestine CIA program referred to as the “brain drain.” Its aim is to use incentives to induce scientists and other officials with information on Iran’s nuclear program to defect.
Acquiring intelligence on the country’s nuclear capabilities and intentions is among the highest priorities for U.S. spy agencies.
Iran has already begun to take advantage of the Amiri case, with state television echoing his claims that he was abducted and describing his return as a national victory. The propaganda effort could discourage others from defecting.
The CIA has authority to bring as many as 100 people into the United States each year under a provision of the 1949 Central Intelligence Agency Act that enables the agency to bypass ordinary immigration requirements.
Promises of resettlement and reward money are two of the primary inducements used by the CIA to recruit informants inside “hard target” countries, including North Korea and Iran.
One of the U.S. officials said Amiri’s family was a main factor in his decision to return.
“He just wanted to see his family and, unfortunately, he chose a dumb way to do it,” the official said, “lying about what happened to him here to try to build up his credibility back home.”
Amiri arrived in Tehran early today to a hero’s welcome.
