An Iranian nuclear scientist at the center of a bizarre espionage drama arrived here to a hero’s welcome Thursday morning, including a personal greeting from several senior government officials.

Shahram Amiri flashed victory signs to dozens of reporters as he stepped into Imam Khomeini International Airport, and his 7-year-old son broke down in tears as his father held him for the first time since Amiri disappeared in Saudi Arabia 14 months ago.

He was also greeted by Hassan Qashqavi, a high-ranking Foreign Ministry official, as well as a deputy interior minister and a deputy science minister.

Iran’s Arabic-language news channel Al Alam extensively covered the arrival, but it was not shown live on state television, which does not broadcast in the early morning.

Amiri’s tale has dominated Iranian media since Monday night, when he surfaced in front of Iran’s diplomatic mission in Washington and asked for a ticket back to his homeland. Amiri, 32, told officials that he had been abducted by U.S. intelligence operatives and had spent much of the past year in Tucson being questioned about Iran’s nuclear ambitions.

Amiri’s reappearance was as mysterious as his disappearance and came just weeks after a series of Internet videos added to the intrigue surrounding the case. In the videos, Amiri claimed alternately to have been kidnapped by the CIA and to have come to this country on his own accord to pursue a PhD.

The case has emerged as a source of embarrassment for both governments. The Obama administration faced the departure of someone whose defection had been considered an intelligence coup. Iran described Amiri’s desire to the leave the United States as a setback for American efforts, but Amiri may have compromised the secrecy of Iran’s nuclear endeavors.

I have a feeling his “hero’s welcome” didn’t last long after the cameras were gone. Won’t surprise me if he is in an “accident” in the near future after his government is through debriefing him.

A tightly fitted cap was successfully keeping oil from gushing into the Gulf of Mexico for the first time in three months, BP said Thursday. The victory — long awaited by weary residents along the coast — is the most significant milestone yet in BP’s effort to control one of the worst environmental disasters in U.S. history.

The news elicited joy mixed with skepticism from wary Gulf Coast residents following months of false starts, setbacks and failed attempts. Alabama Gov. Bob Riley’s face lit up when he heard the oil flow had stopped.

“That’s great. I think a lot of prayers were answered today,” said Riley.

The stoppage came 85 days, 16 hours and 25 minutes after the first report April 20 of an explosion on the BP-leased Deepwater Horizon oil rig that killed 11 workers and triggered the spill.