Tehran nuclear scientist Shahram Amiri flashes the victory sign

Regime studio plans movie on 'abducted' scientist AFP

A government-linked Iranian studio said on Wednesday it plans to make a television movie about Shahram Amiri, the Tehran scientist who claims he was abducted by US spies last year. Amirhossein Ashtiyanipour, a director at Sima Film, said a "young group of movie school graduates" had been hired to write the script for the movie but gave no further details. The project was confirmed by Fars news agency, which reported Wednesday that Sima Film is to make a telefilm of the story of Amiri, "his hostage-taking and his return to Iran."

Amiri, a scientist who surfaced in Washington last week after going missing for more than a year, claims he was abducted by US agents while on a pilgrimage in the Saudi city of Medina in June 2009.

US officials have repeatedly denied his claims of abduction, insisting he was in the United States of his own free will. But they acknowledged that Washington "had been in contact with him" during his stay.

Amiri returned to Tehran on Thursday and in an interview with state television said the US attempted to pressure him into confessing that he was a "spy" and be exchanged with three US hikers in custody of Tehran.

US media reports said far from being abducted, Amiri defected to the United States and was paid millions of dollars to spill Iran's nuclear secrets.