Iran
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.