Collaboration of Academics from the US, UK, and Australia with Sharif University in Research on Iran's Drone Program

The Guardian reported on the collaboration of a group of academics from the US, UK, and Australia in research related to the Islamic Republic's drone program. The report indicates that these academics from the University of Houston in the US, Southampton in the UK, and New South Wales in Australia have worked with Tehran's Sharif University, which is under international financial sanctions and has ties to the Islamic Republic's military institutions. A security expert described these joint research efforts on the Islamic Republic's drone program as having 'military applications,' while another expert deemed it potentially 'very dangerous.' According to The Guardian, drones manufactured by the Islamic Republic have been used in recent deadly attacks in Ukraine and the Middle East, and their development is a priority for Tehran. The newspaper noted that it found no evidence of violations of sanctions or laws in its investigations. The report states that some organizations that funded the research are supported by the governments of the UK and Australia, as well as the European Union. Sharif University is subject to financial sanctions from the EU and the UK, and the US has also sanctioned a senior official from the university. Washington claims that one reason for the rapid advancement of the Islamic Republic's drone program is largely due to the research support from Sharif University. The results of these studies were published last year by the Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers, a global information platform. The main focus of the research is the use of drones in wireless networks and as communication hubs in specific conditions, which experts say could easily have 'military consumption.' In recent years, drones made by the Islamic Republic have been used in various attacks in Ukraine, Syria, Iraq, Saudi Arabia, and targets in the Red Sea. According to Washington, a recent attack on a US military base in Jordan that killed three American soldiers and injured over 40 was carried out using an Iranian-made drone. Recently, Western governments have imposed restrictions to prevent educational institutions and academics from collaborating with their counterparts in Iran and universities like Sharif in sensitive cases. A spokesperson for Southampton University stated that it has halted 'all formal and informal collaborations with Iran.' The University of Houston also claims it has no record of these studies, and the academics in question are currently 'not employed or affiliated' with the university. The University of New South Wales also noted that it carefully monitors 'collaboration with countries and institutions assessed as dangerous' and will inform national authorities if necessary. The US Treasury Department's Office of Foreign Assets Control (OFAC) announced on February 2 that it had sanctioned a 'key procurement network of active suppliers of materials and technologies for the Islamic Republic's ballistic missile and drone programs.' Accordingly, the US has sanctioned six senior members of the Cyber-Electronic Command of the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps, one company based in Iran, and four companies based in Hong Kong. According to OFAC's statement, the four companies based in Hong Kong and Iran operate as 'covert procurement entities for Hamid Dehghan and the Pioneers of Exploration and Development Company,' which itself supports the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps. Additionally, a Hong Kong-based company was sanctioned for securing contracts and selling hundreds of millions of dollars worth of Iranian goods for Quds Force officials, including Rostam Qasemi, a former oil minister who passed away last year. Brian Nelson, the Deputy Secretary of the Treasury for Terrorism and Financial Intelligence, referred to the ongoing proliferation of advanced conventional weapons by the Islamic Republic as 'a vital threat to stability in the region,' stating that the United States will target illegal networks supplying components for Iranian-made weapons and hold accountable those exporting these weapons to terrorist proxy groups. The European Union has also recently sanctioned six individuals and five entities related to 'participation in the production and development of Iranian drones used in Russia's illegal war against Ukraine.' The Council of the European Union, in a statement referring to the Islamic Republic's support for Russia in the war against Ukraine, announced sanctions against companies such as Chakad Aerospace Industry, its CEO, deputy CEO, and senior scientist, as well as other drone manufacturing companies, particularly Baharestan Kish and its director, and Saad Saze Faraz Sharif and its CEO. Another sanctioned company, Sarmad Electronics Sepahan, is said by the EU to provide aerospace engineering services. Kimia Part Sivan, which the EU claims assists in improving the Quds Force's drone program, has also been sanctioned. According to this report, individuals targeted by the sanctions will have their assets frozen and will be banned from traveling to the EU. Additionally, funding sources for these individuals and companies are prohibited. This report utilizes information from The Guardian and previous reports from Voice of America.