New York Times reporter James Risen[/caption]New York Times reporter James Risen has been ordered to appear in court over the revelations that CIA tried to undermine Irans peaceful nuclear program.
He should appear at a Jan. 5 hearing to give limited testimony in advance of the trial of a former CIA officer accused of revealing classified information about CIA operations.
Risen should name the identity of his sources that he mentioned in his 2006 book State of War, which details CIA operations against Irans nuclear energy program.
Ahead of the trial of former CIA officer Jeffrey Sterling, prosecutors say they want to know if the two had a prior, on-the-record source relationship.
Prosecutors said in a court filing that they would seek information about an agreement Risen made with his confidential source.
They also want to know whether the book he wrote accurately reflect information provided to him by his source (or sources), and that statements attributed to an unnamed source were, in fact, made by an unnamed source, the filing said.
The Justice Department has long sought to force Risen to testify and name his confidential source. Risen, however, has refused to reveal the identity of his source, saying he made a commitment to his sources to protect their anonymity.
His lawyer Joel Kurtzberg said that he was not sure whether his client was willing to answer the questions that prosecutors want to pose.
Despite Risens silence, Sterling was arrested and charged with the leak in 2011. His trial is set for January.
By Press TV
The Iran Project is not responsible for the content of quoted articles.
