The original content of Democracy Now! Headlines appears under the Creative Commons BY-NC-ND 3.0 License (United States). For more, including their other shows and media, visit www.democracynow.org. July 15, 2010 Iranian Scientist Returns Home as Report Claims CIA Payment of $5M ------------------------------------------------------------------ The Iranian nuclear scientist Shahram Amiri has returned to Iran just days after surfacing in Washington following a year-long disappearance. Amiri’s whereabouts had been a mystery until he appeared at the Pakistani embassy in Washington asking for assistance to return home to Iran. On Wednesday, Amiri renewed claims he was abducted by CIA and Saudi Arabian intelligence agents. Shahram Amiri: "I was abducted in Medina in front of my hotel by US and Saudi intelligence agents. Then I was transferred to an unknown location in Saudi Arabia. They injected anesthetic drugs into me. They took me to the US on a military plane. During my stay in the first two months, I was subjected to heavy psychological and mental tortures by CIA interrogators." The US claims Amiri defected and provided valuable intelligence about Iran’s nuclear activities before changing his mind. The Washington Post is reporting he was paid $5 million under a secret government program for Iranian defectors. .