This is rehashed material. There is nothing new in it. Pure sensationalism. Who is Ali Reza Asgari and why is he important? No one is quite sure yet, but when the Iranian general and former deputy defense minister disappeared in Istanbul earlier this year, suddenly everyone had a good spy story to follow. Did Asgari defect? Was he kidnapped by a foreign intelligence agency? And how does his fate affect the United States in its ongoing confrontation with Iran, if it does at all? The story is roughly this. In February, Asgari traveled from Syria to Turkey, where he checked into a hotel before apparently going underground. According to Turkey's foreign minister, Abdullah Gul, the Iranian authorities informed the Turks 10 days after Asgari's arrival that they had lost contact with him. The Iranians were said to have initially refused to divulge Asgari's identity, or even provide a photograph. This compelled Gul to defend the Turkish reaction by saying: "If we don't receive information on a specific individual, then this individual can circulate in complete freedom in Turkey." As the story gained prominence in early March, the London-based Arabic newspaper Al-Hayat quoted an unidentified Turkish source as saying that Asgari had defected. This came as Iran was claiming that the general had been kidnapped by U.S. or Israeli intelligence agents--prompting a tentative Israeli denial. Citing a U.S. official, the Washington Post reported on March 8 that Asgari was "cooperating with Western intelligence agencies, providing information on Hezbollah and Iran's ties to the organization." The paper did not specify who was interrogating him.

If kassem missiles continue to rain down in Sderot and the environs of Ashkelon,I have liittle confidence that an Iranian Perl Harbour will be successfully dealt with.Should general complacency and ill preparedness prevail ,without Divine intervention it might result in a Hiroshima and Nagasaki attack as we have stated that we will not be the first to initiate a nuclear conflagration.The situation is frought with danger and I consider it essential that more letters appears in response to your article

Been there, done that. Some guy escaped from Iraq and revealed some inside information and Bush declared war on Iraq (which he was going to do anyway). Turns out he was completely wrong. And so 100's of thousands have been killed in Iraq because of it; is this the fate for the man on the street in Iran also?

It just doesn't matter how much we find out - there has to be a willingness to do something about it. I am afraid we are in for a helluva ride, and nothing will stop it. Americans and Europeans have a comfortable life and a softness that will not go away. 9/11 was not enough. Politically, economically and spiritually the world is headed for a maelstrom, then and only then, after much loss of life, will we be united. "there are no enemies in foxholes." You are warned