NYT: Russian intelligence services expose British spy in Iran
REGION 01 May 2023 - 16:17
Russia's intelligence services have exposed a British spy in Iran, The New York Times [NYT] reports, citing Western, Israeli and Iranian sources.
The point is about Iran's former deputy defence minister Alireza Akbari, who was executed in January 2023 for spying for Britain.
The NYT wrote that Akbari was indeed a British spy - and an extremely valuable one.
It was Akbari who provided the information about the existence of an underground uranium enrichment facility in Fordow town of Iran.
This information confirmed that Iran's nuclear programme is military in nature.
According to the NYT, Akbari had long lived a double life. To the public, he was a religious zealot and political hawk, a senior military commander of the Revolutionary Guards and a deputy defence minister who later moved to London and went into the private sector but never lost the trust of Iran’s leaders. But in 2004, according to the officials, he began sharing Iran’s nuclear secrets with British intelligence.
In addition to accusing Akbari of revealing its nuclear and military secrets, Iran has also said he disclosed the identity and activities of over 100 officials, most significantly Mohsen Fakhrizadeh, the chief nuclear scientist whom Israel assassinated in 2020.
Britain has never publicly acknowledged that Akbari, who became a British citizen in 2012, was its spy. “It is our longstanding policy not to comment on matters relating to intelligence,” said William Archer, the spokesman on Iran for the British Foreign Office.
In September 2019, the NYT reported that the intelligence source on the Fordow nuclear site was a British spy. The intelligence that Akbari provided was one of the revelations that the British intelligence official passed on to Israeli counterparts and other friendly agencies in 2008, according to three Western intelligence and national security officials.
Akbari, who was 62 when he was executed, was an unlikely spy. He displayed a fanatical allegiance to the ideals of the Islamic Republic and unwavering support for its leaders, according to interviews with his brother Mehdi Akbari and people who knew him.
“My brother was deeply religious and very revolutionary, more so than anyone in our family,” said Mehdi Akbari.
In 2004, amid growing suspicions in Israel and the West that Iran was secretly pursuing a nuclear weapons program, Akbari was responsible for convincing key embassies in Tehran that it was not, meeting regularly with the ambassadors of Britain, China, France, Germany and Russia.
Akbari said he was recruited in 2004 and told he and his family would be given visas for Britain. The next year, he travelled to Britain and met with an MI6 handler, he said. Over the next few years, Akbari said he created front companies in Austria, Spain and Britain to provide cover for meetings with his handlers. Iran has said that MI6 paid Akbari nearly 2 million pounds, currently about $2.4 million.
Akbari also was traveling regularly to London. In 2010, he had a heart attack there, his brother said and stayed. He was soon joined by his wife and two daughters, and eventually obtained British citizenship, living off an investment portfolio and travelling to Iran to maintain contacts with senior officials. In the videos, Akbari said he faked the heart attack in order to stay in Britain.
Still, he travelled back and forth from London to Tehran at least three times from 2010 to 2019 and stayed at a family home he had kept in Tehran, his brother said.
Caliber.Az
1
|
Armenia's diplomatic dance in Moscow: Balancing act amid geopolitical tensions West's dilemma in sanctions & double standards
09 May 2024 - 18:18
|
2
|
Potential breakthrough in Azerbaijan-Armenia relations Crucial Almaty peace talks
10 May 2024 - 13:15
|
3
|
Azerbaijan's pivot toward Central Asia Interregional interaction
11 May 2024 - 09:17
|
4
|
Unpacking the ongoing protest & its political implications Armenia at a crossroads
10 May 2024 - 17:57
|
5
|
Amid rising calls for Azerbaijani-Armenian peace accord Türkiye's president urges swift action
09 May 2024 - 14:09
|
Turkish leader clarifies postponement of visit to US
12 May 2024 - 11:58
Azerbaijani and Armenian FMs' Almaty talks - a big step towards a peace deal?
Foreign experts weigh in12 May 2024 - 11:48
Defence Ministry calls all Ukrainians for mobilisation
12 May 2024 - 11:39
Türkiye condemns action of Israeli ambassador to UN
12 May 2024 - 11:22
Türkiye, Greece to define roadmap for coming period
12 May 2024 - 11:01
Al Jazeera: IDF strikes refugee centers in Jabaliya
12 May 2024 - 10:44
Indian minister: US dominance diminishing
12 May 2024 - 10:23
Russia's populated areas hit by drone attacks
12 May 2024 - 10:23
Azerbaijani minister hails importance of different countries’ ideas on COP29
PHOTO12 May 2024 - 10:02
Azerbaijani female wrestler gets license for Paris 2024 Summer Olympics
12 May 2024 - 09:43
Azerbaijan set to bring back over 25,000 residents to liberated lands - top official
12 May 2024 - 09:10
143 countries snub US to vote in favor of Palestine at United Nations
12 May 2024 - 08:58
Japan, South Korea want in on Pillar 2 – but trust is still sticking point
Aukus expansion12 May 2024 - 06:37
China’s consumer inflation edges upward in signal of slow economic recovery
12 May 2024 - 04:30
UN reports 300 deaths from flash floods in northern Afghanistan
12 May 2024 - 02:20
Mistaking Kim Jong Un for South Korean President, sparks ridicule and concern
US President Biden's new gaffe12 May 2024 - 00:15
Battery energy storage systems: a bright future for Scotland
11 May 2024 - 22:10
US Congress shapes funding two Virginia-class subs amidst budget limits
11 May 2024 - 20:00
Israel orders new evacuations in Rafah as it gets ready to expand operations
11 May 2024 - 18:08
Elon Musk’s Starlink satellites disrupted by major solar storm
11 May 2024 - 17:54
North Korea leader Kim Jong Un inspects artillery weapon system, attends test firing
11 May 2024 - 17:42
Severe geomagnetic storm hitting Earth could knock out power, electronics worldwide
11 May 2024 - 17:30
US adds 37 China entities to trade blacklist over security concerns
11 May 2024 - 17:18
German MEP backs Macron's proposal for European nuclear deterrent
11 May 2024 - 17:06
Poland to build defensive fortifications on eastern border
11 May 2024 - 16:54
EU finalizes blueprint for security assurances to Ukraine
11 May 2024 - 16:42
China, Hungary forge strategic partnership amid global diplomatic rifts
Caliber.Az on YouTube11 May 2024 - 16:30
Leveraging Russian ties amidst Western posturing
Armenia's economic tightrope11 May 2024 - 16:18
Joost Klein from the Netherlands disqualified from Eurovision 2024
11 May 2024 - 16:06
Turkish Navy executes its most ambitious drills in recent years
VIDEO11 May 2024 - 15:54
France calls on Israel to end Rafah operation “without delay”
11 May 2024 - 15:42
President Aliyev expresses confidence in permanent peace across Azerbaijani lands
Speaking in Shusha11 May 2024 - 15:38
Azerbaijani deputy defence minister dismissed due to age limit
Defence Minister chairs meeting/PHOTO11 May 2024 - 15:30
Political turmoil in Kuwait as emir dissolves parliament
11 May 2024 - 15:17
Prospects for peace treaty signing between Azerbaijan, Armenia
Experts weigh in11 May 2024 - 15:05
Ecology minister plants trees at Azerbaijan Park in Islamabad
11 May 2024 - 14:49
Gaza death toll surges to 34,943 as Israeli attacks continue
11 May 2024 - 14:32
Azerbaijani, Armenian FMs commit to ongoing discussions on open issues
11 May 2024 - 14:20
Media: In Africa they say, “France, get out!”
11 May 2024 - 14:16
Two new ships for Russian Black Sea fleet
11 May 2024 - 13:57