Brig. Gen Ali Reza Asgari ( also known as Asghari) , 63, the former deputy defense minister of Iran, is said to be in NATO hands on a base in Germany, the United Kingdom's Times Online reported Sunday, where he is undergoing a debriefing after a planned escape to get him and his family out of Iran.

Asgari was believed to have been in possession of documents proving Iran's links to terrorists in the Middle East, the Times reported, though they said he did not have details of the country's nuclear program.

According to the Jerusalem Newswire, however, Asgari is familiar with Iran's nuclear and ballistic missile programs, in addition to holding documents firmly connecting the Iranian government to Lebanon's Hezbollah, the Palestinian Islamic Jihad and the two largest militias in Iraq -- the Mahdi Army and the Badr Corps. The reports also indicated that he knew of Tehran's preparations for possible military conflict with the U.S.

Asgari served as a high value military commander who acted as a liaison between Tehran's clerics and Lebanon's Hezbollah during the 1980s. Experts say Asgari would have knowledge of Hezbollah's infrastructure and their military capabilities.

If Asgari's information is verified, it could help lay the groundwork for changes in U.S. policy toward Iran, though experts say the Asgari situation is overshadowed by other intelligence linking Iran to Iraqi insurgents.

"This particular situation is not going to make (the Iranian-U..S relations) worse or better. No conclusive evidence has surfaced so far," said Bilal Saab, a Middle East analyst for the Brookings Institution. "The big story is Iranian involvement in Iraq. There's a lot more credible information in that story."

Though Saab said photos and other evidence showing Iran's support of insurgents in Iraq outweighs Asgari's defection, he admitted such a defection would be unusual.

"It's very difficult to penetrate Hezbollah, the fact that this could potentially be the first time the U.S. and Western intelligence agencies are able to penetrate, through the Iranian General, Hezbollah's very secretive organizational structure is groundbreaking," Saab said.

"This is a man who has occupied high positions inside the Iranian government since the Iran-Iraq War and has had access to intelligence on national security matters," Saab said.

Asgari was targeted for defection after Iran's secret service was believed to have suspected he was leaking information.

Asgari disappeared under odd circumstances last month while traveling to Turkey from Damascus where he never checked into his hotel, leading to accusations from Tehran that Western intelligence officials orchestrated his kidnapping.

An Israeli newspaper, the Yedioth Aharonot, reported over the weekend that Mossad, Israel's external security service, had arranged for Asgari's escape, though it was not evident which intelligence service he was working for. On Feb. 7, four days after arriving in Damascus, Asgari reportedly boarded a flight to Istanbul where he was given a new passport and left Turkey by car.

"Asgari is a gold mine for western intelligence," an Israeli defense source told the Times. "We have been following him for years, especially since the late 1980s when he was commander of the Revolutionary Guard in Lebanon."

According to the Times, the escape took several months to plan, and at least 10 close members of Asgari's family had to flee the country as well. Asgari has two sons, a daughter and several grandchildren, and all are considered to have escaped Iran.

Washington has not made any official comment about Asgari's defection.

Sources: UPI , Reuters