Norway prosecutes German-Iranian professor for violating sanctions against Iran. A German-Iranian professor who worked at NTNU is accused of violating the sanctions against Iran by inviting more guest researchers from Iran and giving them access to a laboratory, reports NRK.

 

Norway prosecutes German-Iranian professor for violating sanctions against Iran. A German-Iranian professor who worked at NTNU is accused of violating the sanctions against Iran by inviting more guest researchers from Iran and giving them access to a laboratory, reports NRK.

The Norwegian security police believe that the Iranian researchers gained access to computer systems, which in the long run could provide Iran with information on the production of weapons of mass destruction or nuclear weapons.

- This is knowledge that can be useful for Iran's nuclear program. We do not say that it is, but it is the risk potential here that is serious, says public prosecutor Frederik Ranke to NRK.

Now one of the researchers is accused of having shared information about defense equipment.

"We have issued charges against a person for violating the sanctions regulations, including violations of the Iran regulations, export control regulations and a data breach," prosecutor Frederik Ranke told NRK.

- We believe that the accused has violated the sanctions regime for Iran by inviting guest researchers who have been given access to listed instruments, without him having made it possible for NTNU to obtain a permit from the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Ranke explains.

The accused invited four guest researchers from Iran to NTNU in Trondheim. From the period February 2018 to July 2019, they had stays of different lengths at the university.

The German-Iranian professor now lives in a Gulf state. He has lived in Norway for several years.