European Sanctions Against Sharif and Beheshti Universities 'Continue'

The Iranian Minister of Science states that during his recent trip to Europe, he held discussions regarding the lifting of sanctions on Sharif University and Beheshti University 'by foreign countries'; however, it is clear from the minister's remarks that these negotiations have not yielded results. According to ISNA on February 18, quoting Mansour Gholami, the Iranian Minister of Science, he said, 'During my recent trip to Europe, while participating in the third meeting of the working group on scientific and technological cooperation between the Islamic Republic of Iran and the European Union, I held discussions regarding the lifting of these sanctions.' He mentions that these sanctions are linked to 'suspicions that officials of these countries have regarding Iran's nuclear activities.' Mansour Gholami expressed hope that 'the sanctions on the universities of the country will be lifted by foreign countries.' It is unclear from Mr. Gholami's statements whether he traveled to specific countries in Europe for discussions or if these negotiations were only conducted with EU officials, for example, in Belgium or elsewhere. The issue of sanctions against certain educational institutions like Sharif and Beheshti universities is not new and has been raised several times in recent years. When Iran was under international sanctions and Europeans and some other countries, alongside the United States, were implementing separate sanctions against Tehran, the issue of academic sanctions against Iran was raised. In 2014, the judiciary of the Islamic Republic issued an official statement condemning the EU Council's action of 're-listing Sharif University of Technology' in the EU sanctions list as a 'violation' of international law and the commitments of EU member states. At that time, the U.S. and its allies feared that research centers in Iran could assist in the development of military nuclear technology. Tehran denied attempts to acquire nuclear weapons. Ultimately, during Barack Obama's administration, an agreement known as the JCPOA was formed between Iran and the so-called P5+1, which led to the lifting of nuclear sanctions. However, during Donald Trump's administration, the U.S. withdrew from this agreement, and sanctions were reinstated. Nevertheless, the European countries that the Iranian Minister of Science mentioned negotiations with still seek to maintain the JCPOA. In the years prior to the 'JCPOA', Sharif University was placed on the EU sanctions list due to what was described as 'assisting Iran's suspicious nuclear program.' However, the General Court of the European Union found the sanctions against Sharif University to lack sufficient evidence and gave the EU Council an opportunity to provide adequate documentation to support its claims. After the nuclear agreement was formed, Iranian media occasionally addressed the issue of academic sanctions. In September 2015, the president of Beheshti University stated, 'Beheshti University and Sharif University are among the 800 institutions mentioned under the JCPOA, and... the issue of their sanctions is supposed to be resolved.' In July of this year, the Student News Agency reported that after the JCPOA, 'no significant activities have been observed at [Beheshti] University... although no new restrictions have been added, the previous restrictions still exist.' In June of this year, the president of Sharif University stated that negotiations with Europeans are being 'followed up'; what today's statements from the Minister of Science indicate is that there have still been no results.