The case of the defected/kidnapped Iranian General and former Iranian Deputy Defense Minister Ali Reza Asgari just got more bizarre. What appeared to be a reliable source indicating Asgari’s family left Iran on the day the retired general did now appears to be dubious at best. Asgari’s family appeared on Iranian television and denied Asgari defected but rather they are blaming Israel and the United States on taking him hostage.

His 20-year-old daughter Alham told journalists she was certain Israel or the United States kidnapped him, as they are Iran’s main enemies. “My father worked hard for the regime and he had many enemies due to his position,” she was quoted by Fars, the Iranian news agency.

Now this is FARS and it would not be beneath the Iran to trot out people who claim to be Asgari’s family, but I am not saying that is what happened.

Further complicating the issue, AKI reports Asgari “was an avowed enemy of current president Mahmoud Ahmadinejad.”

“As soon as Ahmadinejad came to power in July 2006, [General Ali Reza] Asgari was sidelined. For months after that the general feared he may fall victim to an ‘accident’ or be accused on trumped up charges,” the source told AKI.

Make what you will of the information, but it’s not likely Asgari defected and left his family behind.  There’s a chance he tried to get his family out of Iran and was unsuccessful, thus making the family act as if he was taken hostage in order to keep the Iranian authorities off their backs, but this is doubtful.