Iran wants answers on missing general

TEHRAN, Jan. 7 (UPI) -- Tehran called on the International Committee of the Red Cross to help ascertain what happened to a general who allegedly died in Israel, an official said.

Mohammed Reza Sajjadi, the Iranian envoy to the ICRC in Geneva, expressed concern over reports that former Iranian Gen. Ali Reza Asgari was apparently killed or committed suicide in an Israeli prison, Iran's official Islamic Republic News Agency reports.

Asgari, as reported Thursday by National Public Radio, left Iran and emerged in Turkey three years ago. He allegedly carried sensitive information regarding Iran's nuclear program and its relationship with Shiite resistance movement Hezbollah in Lebanon.

NPR said there were reports that Asgari died in an Israeli prison in December but stressed the claims weren't verified. The former general reportedly shared intelligence information that led the Israeli military to bomb a suspected nuclear site in Syria.

Tehran said the disappearance of the former general was a "clear violation" of international law and represented a "clear example" of terrorism sponsored by the West.

The Iranian envoy to Geneva said the ICRC is expected to clarify the whereabouts of the former general.