The 'Alliance Against a Nuclear Iran' Warns About the IRGC's Exploitation of Swedish Universities

The 'Alliance Against a Nuclear Iran' has released a report stating that research conducted by this New York-based organization indicates that the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) is exploiting the relationships between Swedish universities and Iranian universities to advance its military programs. The report claims that the Swedish government is unaware of these actions by the IRGC, but eight Swedish universities that collaborate academically with Iranian universities are being used by the IRGC to enhance its hard and soft power capabilities. The Alliance also claims to have obtained the text of a strategic memorandum titled 'Comprehensive Law of Science and Technology in the Islamic Defense and Security Sector,' signed by the IRGC commander, the Ministry of Science, and the Supreme Council of the Cultural Revolution, which has been implemented in all Iranian universities since February 2012. According to the report, this memorandum obligates all Iranian universities to transfer intellectual property rights and all research and academic content to the IRGC and other armed forces of the Islamic Republic. The Alliance states that this memorandum aims to 'maximize the use of all national scientific and research capacities' to acquire 'soft, semi-soft, and hard defense and security technologies,' turning 'national' and 'international' academic groups into tools for achieving the regime's goals in various fields, including 'automated and unmanned systems (drones),' 'aerospace propulsion systems,' 'artificial intelligence,' 'advanced warfare software and military sciences.' The organization believes that the IRGC, in accordance with this directive from the Iranian government, has access to all collaborations between Swedish universities and Iranian universities and is making 'maximum use' of these studies. Therefore, any intellectual property shared or developed in cooperation with representatives of Iranian universities should be considered to benefit the IRGC. The Alliance has also stated that it has written to all Swedish universities involved with Iranian universities, expressing its concerns and urging them to immediately cut any ties with Iranian universities. This comes as the Swedish Security Service has repeatedly warned about large-scale industrial espionage operations by the Islamic Republic and campaigns of intimidation against minority groups in Sweden. Earlier reports in the summer of 2023 indicated that at least 11 British universities, including Imperial College and Cambridge, had engaged in dual-use technology collaborations with Iranian universities.