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From NBC's Andrea Mitchell, Courtney Kube and Sarah Blackwill
At a joint news conference with Iraq's Foreign Minister, Secretary of State Hillary Clinton said that an Iranian nuclear scientist who surfaced in Washington last night after vanishing more than a year ago, has been in the U.S. of his own free will and is free to go. She said he was scheduled to go to Iran yesterday but was unable to make all of the necessary arrangements through transit countries. (She did not respond directly to the question, which was whether the U.S. botched the case.)
"He is free to go, he was free to come, these decisions are his alone to make," Clinton told reporters.
Nuclear scientists Shahram Amiri disappeared more than a year ago after embarking on a pilgrimage to Saudi Arabia, and Iran has repeatedly accused the CIA of abducting him. Last night, Amiri turned up in Washington at the Iranian interests section of the Pakistani embassy.
In contrast to Amiri - who she said is free to go - Clinton said Iran continues to hold three Americans (the hikers) and Iran has given the U.S. no information about the welfare and whereabouts of Robert Levinson (the former FBI agent) who has bee missing in Iran since 2007.
"We continue to request Iranian cooperation in resolving this matter and in ensuring his safe return to the United States," Clinton said of Levinson.
Earlier today, State Department spokesperson PJ Crowley denied Amiri's claims that he has been mistreated during his time in the U.S.
"I have no information to suggest that he has been mistreated while he's been in the United States," Crowley said of claims by the scientist, who has posted videos on the internet, claiming he is being held in the U.S. and that he was tortured.
Crowley would not say how long Amiri has been in the U.S., but he did acknowledge that he informed the U.S. that he wanted to go back to Iran before beginning the trip.
Crowley would not confirm reports that Amiri was dropped off at the Iranian interests section of the Pakistani Embassy there by a private car.
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This doesn't seem to be something that can get dismissed very easily. Not every country has a wandering Nuclear Iranian Scientist roaming their streets that just happen to end up at the Packistan Embassy.
Very odd...
OK now, this is the CIA i have known to respect, kidnapped and held for a year. he probably told them what they needed to know about Iran's nuclear program. you see the Russian have come against there program.
The question remain's"Did he just escape from Crawford ,TX. or Jackson Hole WY"? Thats what I wanna know!Did he have sagebrush in his clothing or did he smell like Fish?
He's given America what they wanted to hear"Iran is going Nucular"!
Now, we should Borrow somemore $$ from China & Attack Iran, so the World at-large can Hate us even more.
Aint that Right, "Righties"?
You Betcha!
Lol, that is pretty funny Rick.
But if this had been the work of George and Dick, the world would have never heard from him again.
That's funny, Rick. What is scarey are those like the Three Muskateers, Lieberman, McCain and Graham, who think bombing Iran will make things better!
Ky T I do belive that if he escaped from down Texas way the current change in the Gulf would have him smelling like Crude. I'm hoping that nobody over in Iran has a set of pistols matching those one's that Old G.W just had to have from Saddam.
IR,grilling Ribeye for Miss Daisy this evening, however,if she wanted Froglegs, i'd be obliged to fixem.2 days of rain made the soggybottom come alive, so i would'nt have far to go for them Froglegs. I missed my Whiperwills while I was gone, so i've sat outside evering evening, listening to'em.
President Obama want's to do away with the 2nd amendment, everyone knows That! Pistols are an afterthought, unless Jeb wants to start his collection in 2050!
In addition to eating grizzly bears, Sarah can help you with how to eat one of them there frogs, Rick (not just the legs, either) :
"....Well, first ya put one leg over one of your ears, ear, and the other leg over the other ear....."
Rick I was thinking more along the lines of old Hillary maybe lining up a method to make sure old Bill didn't step out of line now that he's got his heart fixed and is ready for some strenous activity. Man I tell you what Whiporils been gone over on my side of the mountain for ten years and man I miss them. You know what else I miss in the evening Quail. Poison in the orchards mostly kiled them out and I can't get them to stay around no matter how many I raise and turn loose
Dang it Drive-BY!!!!
You got me again! LMFAO! However, I did manage to stay dry for the super-sex comment yesterday!
Ha! You guys are too much--
I haven't heard whippoorwills in years. My folks had 40 acres in the country, there was nothing like hearing their song; we sat outside in the evenings listening--until the mosquitos drove us in. Right now the cicadas start their buzzing around dusk which I find a welcome sound, always reminds me of long ago summer evenings spent at a park on the Mississippi where it was cool, lots of pleasant memories when I hear that sound and see lightening bugs.
Any of you that live in the country noticing the wheat turning gold? It sure is here, so pretty.
Sorry to report NewDay the only color I'm seeing these days is orange... as in construction zone ORANGE! UGH!
Rick, KY - I have fond memories of the Whipperwhills (sp?) from my day's on Grampa's farm. Happy to report I have a little red-headed woodpecker that hangs out in my yard these days! Husbands not too fond of the little guy... but I think he's adorable! lol
Man I can't comprehend a damn thing you write. I always thought you were a backwards azz hillbilly.
Interesting. Bush/Cheney determined that torture was OK, afterall it worked on "24", and why would a country that doesn't like us believe otherwise. The consequences of Bush/Cheney policies on war, torture, the economy, deregulation, energy will be with us for years to come.
The Obama administration ended the Bush/Cheney enhanced (torture) interrogation techniques last year. However, logically, if Amiri is headed back to Iran, he must claim he was mistreated and tortured if he hopes to avoid that treatment when he gets back to Iran.
Agreed. This is exactly what you might do with a spy you had brought to Washington to de-brief. I hope we got some valuable information from him, anyway, because he's probably a goner in any event, if he really elects to go home.
By the way, if he was really being tortured and mistreated, where exactly did he get access to the Internet? Or does that come free with each order of waterboard nowadays?
That's funny and a good question.
Jody:
Do you honestly (Take off your partisan glasses) believe these techniques started with Bush? If you do, I have some oceanside property in Arizona for sale. These techniques have been around and have been deployed for years probably before you were born.
Liberals use this as an excuse to belittle the man and to pretend that they are so moral; this is against everything we stand for...give me a break. The military learn these techniques in basic training.
Do you think that the CIA and the military will stop using these techniques just because Obama said so? He will not be POTUS forever and the CIA is the most secretive organization in the world.
This is just politics for the moment. When he is gone, the next POTUS will push to reinstate the techniques.
Hillary shouldn't have let him go back. He was clearly trespassing on US soil and he needs to be tried and jailed for years and years...that is, unless, Iran wants to make a trade.
An illegal....good thing he didn't try coming through Arizona.
How did this blog turn into, "It's a Bush thing?" Funny, the story says nothing about him. Now it does say something about the 3 hikers. Here's the 411 on theses hikers, I was in Iraq last year. You can't go to Iraq being a civilian to go hiking. There's no way even with a passport that you can gain entry into Iraq. So, ask yourself, how did the hikers gain entry? My opinion is, if they entered illegally, then that's on those 3 hikers fault. Maybe Obama can sue Iran for their immigration policy?