Source: RFE/RL

Canada's former ambassador to Tehran has admitted to spying for the United States and serving as the "de facto CIA station chief" after the U.S. Embassy seizure in 1979. The former diplomat, Ken Taylor, approved the disclosure in a book published this week and confirmed its details for a story in "The Globe and Mail."

Our Man In Tehran

Taylor, who says he also helped plan a possible armed incursion into Iran, was celebrated at the time for his publicly acknowledged role hiding six Americans and helping them escape Tehran in the midst of the Iranian hostage crisis.

He suggested officials expected to keep his role three decades ago under wraps, and told "The Globe and Mail" that he didn't think it would be disclosed "for another 30 years."

The book, "Our Man In Tehran" by Robert Wright, was released on January 23.

Taylor said the arrangement was set up by then-U.S. President Jimmy Carter and former Canadian Prime Minister Joe Clark, whereby he would provide the CIA with information from his post at Canada's embassy in Tehran.

In November 1979, Iranian students stormed the U.S. embassy in Tehran and took 60 Americans hostage, beginning a 444-day crisis situation to free them.

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