Nuclear Scientist(s) Defect from Iran to the West

This weeks article suggests that at least one scientist, Shahram Amiri, who had been involved in Iran's nuclear development program has defected to the west. There may also be another, possibly scientist, who also defected though his identity and role are uncertain at this time. The information the individual(s) possessed is unclear though presumably any information ascertained would be deemed classified as not to alert Iran of what information the West has acquired.

The article mentions that these individuals were not the first to have defected from Iran. Ali Askari, the deputy Defense Minister and senior officer in the Revolutionary Guard defected in 2007. As the article suggests, the U.S. and western powers are engaged in a "Shadow war" with Iran which translates to a war for information (largely via espionage) about Iran's ambitions and capabilities as far as uranium enrichment is concerned.

Information collected by individuals who defect can have a resounding impact on global politics and stability. Iran has made clear that any violent attempts to stop their nuclear ambitions, be it from the U.S. or Israel, would result in fierce retaliation. The western powers are relying heavily on diplomacy though both sides do appear to support military action, likely as a last resort.

As the article points out: "Western governments consider Iran's bid to achieve nuclear weapons capability and its support for terrorist groups like Hamas, Hezbollah, and Al-Qaida, a threat to international peace and stability." Based on this premise alone, it is of dire necessity that Iran's intentions be monitored closely. Even should Iran enrich uranium, to have such a powerful substance available in the often chaotic middle east could lead to the substance changing hands in some manner. Given that Iran supports radical anti-western groups like Hamas, Hezbollah, and Al-Qaida it seems a worthy cause to be suspicious of Iran and to not allow them access to such a powerful substance. One could speculate that Global stability would rapidly decline at the mere presence of enriched uranium in the middle east.

The article appears to be relatively free of bias. It speculates that Iran is embarrassed of its people defecting, though this would seems to be a just assumption not based on a skewed or biased perspective. The information the article provides is mainly based on what appear to be facts. Most of the information is not subjective or opinionated so it seems safe to say the source is reliable.