Iranian regime-linked scientists made a secret visit to Russia late last year, reportedly to advance nuclear weapons research, the Financial Times revealed Wednesday, citing documents and sources familiar with the matter.
The visit, which took place November 7-11, 2024, was organized by a front group for Iran’s Organization of Defensive Innovation and Research (SPND), the military body Western officials believe is behind Iran’s nuclear weapons efforts.
According to the report, the delegation met with Russian military experts and representatives of Laser Systems, a sanctioned company that develops laser technologies for civilian and military use. It was the second such visit in 2024.
In February 2025, Andrei Savin, a former technical director at Laser Systems and now a professor at Russia’s Baltic State Technical University, traveled to Tehran, according to the Financial Times report. There, he met with SPND-linked officials and representatives of DamavandTec, another front company for SPND. The U.S. sanctioned DamavandTec and its CEO, Ali Kalvand, in October, accusing them of attempting to acquire components “applicable to the development of nuclear explosive devices.”
Nicole Grajewski of the Carnegie Endowment told the Financial Times the meetings are “strong evidence that Russia was assisting Iran in its nuclear weapons-related research,” and said the activities appeared to be approved “at a high level on the Russian and Iranian sides.”
A previous Financial Times report detailed an August 2024 trip by Kalvand and four associates to Moscow, where they entered on diplomatic passports and visited a Russian institution producing dual-use technologies relevant to nuclear weapons.
One of the scientists, Soroush Mohtashami, is an expert in neutron generators - components used to trigger nuclear detonations. In a letter to Russian scientist Oleg Maslennikov, Kalvand wrote that the trip aimed “to discuss and agree on technical and production aspects of electronic device development” and “to consider general potential paths for expanding scientific co-operation.”