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An Iranian nuclear scientist who vanished more than a year ago mysteriously turned up in Washington on Tuesday claiming to have been kidnapped but the United States denied that he was held against his will.Iran, which is locked in a standoff with the West over its suspected pursuit of nuclear weapons, has repeatedly accused the U.S. Central Intelligence Agency of abducting Shahram Amiri, who worked for Iran's Atomic Energy Organisation.Amiri, who went missing during a pilgrimage to Saudi Arabia more than a year ago, appeared at the Iranian interests section of the Pakistani embassy, which represents Iran because Tehran and Washington have no diplomatic relations.A man claiming to be Amiri has variously claimed in recent videos that he was kidnapped and tortured; that he was studying in the United States and and that he had fled U.S. "agents" and wanted human rights groups to help him return to Iran.Amiri was quoted by Iranian state TV on Tuesday as saying "my kidnapping was a disgraceful act for America." His comment fueled speculation that he may have had valuable intelligence about the Iranian nuclear program.In March, ABC News reported he defected and was helping the CIA. U.S. officials on Tuesday said Amiri had decided to return to Iran of his own volition.The United States accuses Iran of using its civil nuclear program as a cover to develop weapons. Iran, which has been hit by four rounds of U.N. Security Council sanctions over the nuclear issue, says its program is to generate power.Intelligence about the program is at a premium for the United States, which fears that an Iranian nuclear weapon could threaten its close ally, Israel, as well as oil supplies from the Gulf and friendly nations in Europe."My kidnapping was a disgraceful act for America ... I was under enormous psychological pressure and supervision of armed agents in the past 14 months," Amiri, who is in his thirties, was quoted as telling Iran's state TV in a phone interview.IRAN PLAYS DOWN IDEA OF SWAP"Amiri has been escorted by American forces to Iran's interests section in Washington," Iran's PressTV said.Secretary of State Hillary Clinton told reporters: "Mr. Amiri has been in the United States of his own freewill and he is free to go." She contrasted his situation with that of three U.S. hikers in Iranian custody.While U.S. officials denied they were looking to swap Amiri for the three Americans arrested near the Iraq border about a year ago, raising their case in connection with the nuclear scientists suggested they might be interested in an exchange.In Tehran, Iranian foreign ministry spokesman Ramin Mehmanparast said: "We do not think it is the right thing to discuss swapping Shahram Amiri for three Americans who illegally entered Iranian territory."Shane Bauer, 27, Sarah Shourd, 31, and Josh Fattal, 27, say they strayed over the border while hiking in the mountains of northern Iraq.Amiri surfaced days after last Friday's Cold War-style spy swap when 10 people charged in the United States with being Russian agents were exchanged for four held in Russia on charges of spying for the West.The State Department said Amiri was scheduled to leave on Monday but was unable to make the necessary arrangements. A department spokesman, P.J. Crowley, had no information to suggest had been mistreated while he was in the United States.Iran and the United States severed diplomatic ties after the 1979 Islamic revolution.Under the umbrella of the Pakistani embassy, the interests section, which is staffed by Iranians, provides consular services including information on travel visas. U.S. interests in Iran are handled by the Swiss embassy in Tehran.(Additional reporting by Ramin Mostafavi and Robin Pomeroy in Tehran, Zeeshan Haider in Islamabad and Tabassum Zakaria in Washington, Writing by Parisa Hafezi and Arshad Mohammed, Editing by Alan Elsner)(For more news on Reuters India, click http://in.reuters.com)
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