Iranian Video Gamers Play at Battle With U.S.

Online gamers in Iran were able yesterday to play out their anti-American frustrations by mounting a virtual rescue mission for a top atomic scientist held by American forces in Iraq.

In a scenario that could easily be replicated in the real world, a nuclear scientist, Dr. Kousha, and his wife are detained by American forces while on a pilgrimage to Iraq's holy city of Kerbala. Gamers are set the challenge of grabbing the scientist back.

From there, the game heads into the realm of geopolitical fantasy. The Iranian hero tracks the couple to Israel. Battle commences against both Israeli and American troops.

Further into the game, the Iranian operative discovers and rescues four of the country's diplomats who disappeared in Lebanon during its civil war 25 years ago. Tehran has accused Israel of holding the four diplomats since 1982.

The game has been produced by the Union of Islamic Students, which said it wanted to highlight the predicament of Iranian officials that Tehran claims have been abducted. Iran's overseas spying apparatus has suffered a handful of losses as a result of Western counter-espionage activities.

Mohammad Fakhrin, a spokesman for the union, said, "In this game, we point to our dignity and power for defending our rights in trying to release the diplomats." It is believed to be the first officially sponsored video game in the history of the cleric-run republic. An independent production last year set players the task of blowing up an American oil tanker crossing through the strategic Straits of Hormuz.

A fanfare on state television accompanied the launch of the game, including extensive reporting of the inaugural screening in a Tehran cinema.

The game was said in reports to have been designed in retaliation for an American one released last year, in which American Special Forces raided an Iranian nuclear research facility, prompting outrage in Iran's state-controlled press.