Perhaps the Israelis want to trade him for Pollard
In all seriousness, though, this is straight out of "The Cardinal of The Kremlin". Maybe they have a copy in Tel Aviv. Not quite Jack Ryan getting the KGB director on a State Dept transport while Mr Clark makes off with his family in a sub, but a defection in Istanbul has a "From Russia With Love" feel to it.
This appears to be quite a get.
Of course, the Post puts it on A16 where no one will see it. If the commander of US Special Forces or Paul Wolfowitz(this guy's equivalent) defected to Iran, that would be page 1 news and the worst blow to US intelligence since Ames and Hanssen. When the US and Israel pull off the reverse, the Post puts it on A16. What a lousy operation they're running.
This doesn't need to be on page 1. Tehran will know we have him now. I bet this weekend's discussions in Baghdad will be quite interesting. ;-)
If what they say is true, he would be worth it. What a huge blow to Iran.
I'll trade them Pollard, and the secret recipes for Coke and KFC. This guy would be well worth it.