Iran says its nuclear scientist brought back valuable information on the CIA

Tehran: A semiofficial news agency is quoting an "informed source" as claiming that an Iranian nuclear scientist, who returned home last week from the United States, provided "very valuable" information" about the Central Intelligence Agency.

American authorities have claimed that Shahram Amiri willingly defected to the US, but changed his mind and decided to return home without the $5 million (Dh18.36 million) he had been paid, for what a US official described as, "significant" information about his country's disputed nuclear programme.

The unidentified source is quoted by Fars news agency as saying Iran's intelligence agents were in touch with Amiri while he was in the US and that they won an intelligence battle against the CIA.