Iran using research partnerships with UK ‘to develop weapons’
Summary
The government is under pressure to crack down on academic collaborations between Britain and Iran as evidence emerges of the regime using western science to develop weapons. An Islamic Republic decree, seen by The Times, shows that its military has been given “maximum” access to Iranian universities and their international partnerships, in order to acquire sensitive research from overseas. Advanced weaponry, drones, aerospace propulsion systems, artificial intelligence and sophisticated warfare software are listed among the top defence priorities for the country. The “strategic document”, issued in 2021 and translated from Farsi, states that “professors, researchers and students” should be utilised to secure these military capabilities in response to Iran’s “defence needs”. The UK government launched an investigation into 11 universities, including Cambridge and Imperial, last