Amir Kabir University of Technology
About
Established in 1958, Amir Kabir University of Technology offers undergraduate, graduate and PhD degrees in nuclear engineering, physics, mining and metallurgy engineering and mathematics. 1 Tehran has allegedly used the university as a front company to purchase sensitive items abroad, including attempting to purchase neutron-shielding equipment from a U.S. company. 2 The university is also involved in developing space-launch vehicle and satellite technology. 3
Glossary
- Neutron
- Neutron: An uncharged particle with a mass slightly greater than that of the proton, and found in the nucleus of every atom heavier than hydrogen-1.
- Space Launch Vehicle (SLV)
- A rocket used to carry a payload, such as a satellite, from Earth into outer space. SLVs are of proliferation concern because their development requires a sophisticated understanding of the same technologies used in the development of long-range ballistic missiles. Some states (e.g., Iran), may have developed space launch vehicle programs in order to augment their ballistic missile capabilities.
Sources
- “Departments, Amirkabir University of Technology,” http://aut.ac.ir.
- Mark Fitzpatrick, Nuclear Black Markets: Pakistan, A.Q. Khan and the Rise of Proliferation Networks (London: The International Institute for Strategic Studies, 2007), p. 68.
- “Iran to Unveil Aerospace Achievements in Days,” FARS News Agency, 18 February 2013; “Iranian university develops live creature carrying rocket,” Mehr News Agency, 8 May 2013.