Former Iranian deputy defense minister Ali Rez Asgari was secreted away from Turkey to an undisclosed location in Europe by Western officials.

This after he informed American officials several weeks earlier that he wished to defect and provide assistance in bringing down those running his country.

According to a London-based Arabic newspaper, Asgari was in possession of documents definitively linking the Iranian regime to the actions of Lebanon's Hizb'allah, the Palestinian Islamic Jihad and the two main insurgency forces in Iraq - the Mahdi Army and the Badr Corps.

Asgari was also well acquainted with Iran's nuclear and ballistic missile programs, as well as Tehran's preparations for possible military conflict with the US.

If the evidence - particularly regarding Iran's role in Iraq's instability - is verifiable, it could be enough to prompt Washington to begin putting war preparations in motion.