ICYMI: UANI Prompts Action Against Iranian Regime’s Infiltration Of Swedish Universities

(New York, NY) – Last month, United Against Nuclear Iran (UANI) uncovered a strategic agreement that allows the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) to exploit collaborations between Iranian and Swedish universities to advance Iran's military programs. 

This agreement, unknown to Swedish authorities until UANI revealed it, has allowed the IRGC to exploit academic partnerships between Swedish universities and their Iranian counterparts to procure research and technology in fields like drones, artificial intelligence, and advanced electronics—directly supporting the Iranian regime’s defense and security priorities. The revelations were detailed at a meeting hosted by Swedish Member of Parliament and UANI Advisory Board Member Alireza Akhondi on May 7 in the Swedish Parliament. UANI experts identified eight Swedish universities as having relationships with Iranian universities. 

In response to Akhondi and UANI’s findings, Swedish Minister for Education Mats Persson said his government is “taking action to ensure that there is competence in matters of security in the boards of public universities.” Persson added that security will be on the agenda for the yearly dialogues that the Education Ministry conducts and that “safeguarding national interests and protecting Swedish research is a priority” for his government. 

The details of the relationships were documented in a press release revealing that the academic fields in which all eight Swedish universities are collaborating with Iranian universities are on topics specifically listed as the regime and IRGC’s “main science and technology priorities for defense and security” in the strategic agreement.

UANI urged the Swedish universities to immediately terminate their partnerships with Iranian institutions and called on the Swedish government to investigate and act swiftly. These findings highlighted the broader implications for Sweden’s national security, especially given its NATO membership, and underscored the risk of foreign infiltration through academic collaborations.

Media interest in the event and story was high with interviews in broadcast media and media outlets, including Expressen, Sweden Postsen, Iran News Wire, Iran International, Epoch Times, In Blick, Dagen

A full recording of the May 7 event can be found here.

MP Akhondi’s questioning of Minister Persson in the Swedish Parliament can be viewed here.