Ali-Reza Asgari

Sardar

Ali-Reza Asgari
Nickname(s)Reza Chieftain[1]
Born(1952-11-01)November 1, 1952
Ardestan, Iran
Disappeared
7 February 2007(2007-02-07) (aged 54)
Istanbul, Turkey
Service / branchIslamic Revolutionary Guard Corps
RankBrigadier general
UnitQuds Force
Battles / wars
Other workVice Minister of Defense for Logistics

Ali-Reza Asgari (Persian: علیرضا عسگری, born 1 November 1952) is an Iranian who served as a general in the Islamic Revolutionary Guards Corps,[2] as deputy defense minister, and as a cabinet member of Iranian President Mohammad Khatami.[3]

Asgari had been "pushed aside" from his ministerial role after President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad, a former rival, came into power in 2005.[4] Asgari disappeared in Turkey in early 2007, and news reports indicate that he either defected to, or was kidnapped[5] by, Western intelligence agencies. His disappearance has also led to reports that Iran would retaliate by kidnapping American or Israeli officials in Europe.[6] According to The Sunday Times, Asgari was described as a "gold mine for western intelligence" by an Israeli defence source who claimed that they had been following him since the 1980s.[4]

  1. ^ a b "Is Iran's Missing General, Ali Reza Asgari, Living in the United States?". The Daily Beast. 30 May 2014.
  2. ^ "Iran pursuing fate of former defense ministry official missing in Turkey Archived 2007-09-29 at the Wayback Machine", Islamic Republic News Agency, March 6, 2007. Retrieved March 6, 2007.
  3. ^ "Iranian general's disappearance a mystery", UPI, March 5, 2007. Retrieved March 5, 2007.
  4. ^ a b Cite error: The named reference Sunday Times was invoked but never defined (see the help page).
  5. ^ Fars News Agency :: Iran: West May Have Kidnapped Missing Official
  6. ^ Mahnaimi, Uzi. "Iran to hit back at US ‘kidnaps’[dead link]", The Sunday Times, March 18, 2007. Retrieved March 18, 2007.