According to the Financial Times, new documents reveal covert trips by Iranian scientists to Russia seeking laser tech, triggering snapback sanctions amid 2025 nuclear tensions.
A second clandestine visit by Iranian nuclear scientists to Russia occurred last year, aiming to secure technology with potential weapons applications, according to the U.K. Financial Times. The trip involved the SPND, an Iranian military unit accused by the United States of leading nuclear weapons research, and Russian military institutes.
Documents obtained by the Financial Times provide the first evidence of Moscow engaging Tehran on nuclear knowledge. Jim Lamson, a former CIA analyst, told the outlet that Tehran’s experts were “seeking laser technology and expertise that could help them validate a nuclear weapon design without conducting a nuclear explosive test.”
Iran insists its program is peaceful, while Russia opposes a nuclear-armed Islamic Republic. Before the United States and Israel bombed Iran’s facilities in June, Washington believed weaponization remained deactivated but noted shortened timelines for potential bomb construction. DamavandTec, an SPND front company, arranged the St. Petersburg travel for Iranian laser specialists last November, documents reviewed by the Financial Times show. They met with Laser Systems, a U.S.-sanctioned Russian firm working on dual-use technology. (Read More)
