An Iranian nuclear scientist who American officials say defected to the United States and then had second thoughts was given a hero’s welcome when he returned to Tehran early Thursday morning.
The scientist, Shahram Amiri, 32, added details to his claims that he had been abducted by the C.I.A. and Saudi intelligence. A wreath of flowers was placed around his neck as he was greeted at Imam Khomeini International Airport by family members, including his 7-year old son, red-eyed from crying, and a grinning foreign Ministry official.
At a news press conference immediately upon his arrival, Mr. Amiri said he had no connection with Iran’s nuclear program and that he was the victim of an American conspiracy to wage "psychological warfare" against Iran. United States officials have said that Mr. Amiri arrived in the country of his own free will and was free to leave whenever he wished.
Mr. Amiri told gathered reporters that he had been offered $10 million to say on CNN that he had arrived in the United States on his own accord in order to seek asylum and, just before his departure for Iran, $50 million and the chance for a new life in a European country of his choosing if he decided to stay.
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