--- title: "The Iranian general whose intel might have stopped the US from going to war in 2007" date: "2026-03-20" modified: "2026-03-20" authors: - name: "Stephen Ruiz" job_title: "Editor, Writer" link: "https://www.wearethemighty.com/authors/stephen/" url: "https://www.wearethemighty.com/history/the-iranian-general-whose-intel-might-have-stopped-the-us-from-going-to-war-in-2007/" categories: - "History" tags: - "CIA" - "Iran" - "Military History" --- # The Iranian general whose intel might have stopped the US from going to war in 2007 ![Iran War]() *A man stands in a damaged residence on March 14, 2026, at the site of buildings, including a police station, that were destroyed in an airstrike in the Khani Abad neighborhood of Tehran, Iran. (Majid Saeedi/Getty Images)* Where is Ali-Reza Asgari? The Iranians have wanted to find that out [since December 9, 2006](), when Asgari, a retired major general in the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps, disappeared. His last known sighting was in Istanbul. Some claimed the CIA or the Mossad (Israel’s secret police) kidnapped him or he was away on business. Neither of those possibilities is likely true. Asgari defected to the United States willingly, according to [an extensive investigation]() by Iran International in 2024. **Related:** [**Aldrich Ames, the Cold War’s deadliest CIA mole, completes life sentence**]() Based in London, the Persian-language satellite television network reported Asgari was living in the U.S. under an assumed name provided by the federal [Witness Protection Program](). Asgari’s transition to becoming a spy for America did not happen overnight. After it did, Asgari brought with him a [“gold mine” of intelligence](), some of which likely prevented the U.S. from going to war against Iran over its nuclear program in 2007. ### Tortured in Prison ![Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps]() *An armed military member of the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps holds an AK-45 rifle and stands guard outside a police facility. A U.S.-Israeli military campaign in Tehran, Iran, destroyed the facility on March 4, 2026. (Morteza Nikoubazl/NurPhoto via Getty Images)* Who is Ali-Reza Asgari? The major general’s ties to the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps began shortly after the Islamic Revolution in 1979. Asgari advanced through the ranks and became a commander, first in Kurdistan and then in Lebanon. He is credited with transforming [Hezbollah, an Iranian-backed terrorist group in Lebanon,]() into a more modern organization. Asgari was arrested on charges of moral and financial corruption after returning to Iran. He [was brutally tortured]() during his 18 months in prison. Disillusioned and angry, Asgari was a changed man after his confinement, according to [a 2007 article]() in The Financial Times of London. A year after his release in 2004, U.S. intelligence officials reportedly began recruiting Asgari in Thailand. It took two years for him to flip, but once he did in Türkiye, American agents were there waiting for him. They took Asgari to a military base in Germany, per Iran International. Two months later, Asgari reportedly was in witness protection. ### Providing High-Level Intelligence ![USS Stethem]() *Sailors assigned to the Arleigh Burke-class guided-missile destroyer USS Stethem fire a volley of shots as part of a gun salute during a memorial ceremony for the 40th anniversary of the death of the ship's namesake. (U.S. Navy/Mass Communication Specialist 1st Class Claire M. Alfaro)* What did Ali-Reza Asgari disclose? Apparently plenty. He allegedly identified Mohsen Fakhrizadeh as the head of Iran’s nuclear program, leading to Mossad assassinating him [with a remote-controlled machine gun]() in 2020. Asgari also revealed details about a secret uranium enrichment site in Iran and a military nuclear reactor in Syria, the latter of which the Israeli Air Force destroyed in 2007. Asgari’s apparent defection definitely wasn’t good news for Imad Mughniyeh, who was charged after the hijacking of TWA Flight 847 on June 14, 1985, and the murder of Robert Stethem. A Navy Seabee diver, Stethem was a passenger on that flight. The terrorists severely beat him and shot him in the head before [throwing his body out of the airplane]() and onto the tarmac of the Beirut airport. Asgari was Mughniyeh’s primary Iranian contact. A joint CIA-Mossad operation [killed Mughniyeh]() in Damascus, Syria, in a car bombing in 2008. That’s just some of the details that Iran International’s investigation found. There was more. ### “Like Throwing Cold Water on Fire” What did Ali-Reza Asgari say that kept the American military from attacking Iran two decades ago? In 2006 and 2007, Washington was believed to be considering knocking out Iran’s nuclear program (sound familiar?). Their thinking changed, however, as revealed in a classified government document known as the National Intelligence Estimate (NIE). The 2007 NIE stated that Iran stopped its nuclear weapons program in fall 2003, and U.S. government officials [were “moderately confident”]() they had not restarted it. That intelligence likely came from Asgari, leading the U.S. to back off. The publication of the 2007 report [“was like throwing cold water on fire,”]() Iran International reported, and any potential plans the US had for bombing Iran at that time were shelved. ### Controversy Surrounding the 1983 Beirut Bombings ![Marine barracks Beirut attack]() *Rescue and clean-up crews search for casualties following the barracks bombing in Beirut on October 23, 1983. (U.S. Marine Corps/Staff Sgt. Randy Gaddo)* Asgari had intimate knowledge of Hezbollah [in the late 1980s and early ’90s](). How much he knew about the 1983 bombing of the American Embassy and Marine barracks in Beirut remains an unresolved question. Seventeen Americans, [including eight CIA employees](), died in the embassy blast, and the Marine barracks bombing killed 241 service members. William Barron was a first responder to the Marine barracks attack. He [told CNN in 2014]() that he felt a sense of betrayal after learning the U.S. apparently gave Asgari a new life. “My immediate reaction was sick to my stomach,” Barron said. “I can’t see anything being gleaned from him that we cannot glean from other sources. The man needed to die.” Iran International's reporting [showed no direct evidence]() of Asgari's involvement in those terrorist attacks. Still, irrefutable evidence either way has not been disclosed publicly. For their part, U.S. intelligence agencies have denied offering Asgari asylum or knowing where he is. As a result, a mystery that began two decades ago remains unresolved. What exactly happened to Ali-Reza Asgari? ### Don’t Miss the Best of We Are The Mighty ##### **• [A Marine Corps general led a fictional Iran against the US military—and won]()** ##### **• [How this Air Force veteran allegedly spied for Iran]()** ##### **• [America’s ongoing quest to stop firing $4 million missiles at $30,000 drones]()** ## Author Stephen Ruiz is an editor and writer at We Are The Mighty. His writing revolves mostly around military history and sports stories, but it can branch into other areas. Stephen has more than 35 years of journalism experience. His career began with stints at The Ledger newspaper in Lakeland, Florida, and The Kansas City Star in Missouri, but most of his time was spent on the copy desk at the Orlando Sentinel. After accepting a buyout from the Sentinel in 2020, Stephen worked at Military.com for 4½ years as a content editor and writer. He joined the We Are The Mighty staff in December 2025. ### Author social links [Facebook]() [Twitter]() [Instagram]() [LinkedIn]()