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April 28, 2023

This month’s newsletter features updates to a timeline of milestones in
Iran’s nuclear program. Since the last update in May 2022, efforts to
restore the 2015 nuclear deal have come to a halt and Iran has begun,
continued, or completed the construction of several new nuclear-related
facilities. Additionally, the newsletter features remarks by Wisconsin
Project Executive Director Valerie Lincy at a recent event on Iran's drone
program hosted by the Washington Institute for Near East Policy.

The newsletter also includes profiles of organizations involved in Iran’s
space program, as well as news about Iran funneling military equipment to
Syria disguised as earthquake relief, a secret Iranian effort to purchase a
rocket propellant ingredient from Russia and China, and Iran's transfer of
artillery and small arms ammunition to Russia via the Caspian Sea.
Additions to the Iran Watch library include official documents and
statements relating to Iran’s overseas military procurement and human
rights abuses.

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PUBLICATIONS

[4]

The inauguration ceremony for a new uranium mine at Narigan. (Credit:
Tasnim News Agency)

Timeline | [5]Iran Nuclear Milestones: 1967-2023

Over the last year, efforts to restore the 2015 nuclear deal have come to a
halt and an IAEA investigation into the presence of uranium at undeclared
sites in Iran has stalled. Meanwhile, Iran has expanded its enrichment
capacity and increased its stockpile of highly enriched uranium. Iran also
began construction on a nuclear power station at Darkhovin, continued work
at the Bushehr power plant’s second unit, and inaugurated a new uranium
mine at Narigan. A [6]related table tracks the status of Iran’s
nuclear-related facilities.

[7]READ THE TIMELINE

[8]

Iranian drones at the Eghtedar 40 defense exhibition. (Credit: Tasnim News
Agency)

Speeches and Testimony | [9]Iran’s Military Drone Program

On April 20, Wisconsin Project Executive Director Valerie Lincy took part
in a roundtable discussion hosted by the Washington Institute for Near East
Policy on the security implications of Iran's drone program and policy
responses to it, together with former CENTCOM commander Gen. (Ret.) Kenneth
McKenzie Jr. and Damien Spleeters of Conflict Armament Research. In her
remarks, Ms. Lincy shared findings from a recent Iran Watch roundtable
report, “[10]Clipping Tehran's Wings: How Supply-Side Controls Can Impede
the Iranian Drone Program.”

[11]VIEW THE EVENT

ENTITIES OF CONCERN

Iran’s civilian space program has long been the cause of international
concern because of the dual-use nature of its research and development
activities: space launch vehicles (SLVs) make use of similar technologies
to those applied in ballistic missiles.

[12]Iranian Space Agency

Oversees Iran's space-related initiatives; reportedly cooperates with the
[13]Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps Aerospace Force (IRGC-ASF) and
[14]Ministry of Defense and Armed Forces Logistics (MODAFL) on satellite
launches; owns the Khayyam satellite built and launched by Russia in 2022.

[15]LEARN MORE

[16]Iran Space Research Center

A research institute under the Iranian Space Agency; conducts research and
development on space launch vehicle technologies that have applications in
ballistic missiles; has worked with [17]Shahid Hemat Industrial Group
(SHIG).

[18]LEARN MORE

[19]Materials and Energy Research Institute

Conducts research related to satellites and other space systems,
particularly energy generation and storage; subordinate to the Iran Space
Research Center; has designed and supplied parts to [20]Mobarakeh Steel
Company.

[21]LEARN MORE

IN THE NEWS

[22]

A Boeing 747 cargo plane operated by Qeshm Fars Air, reportedly in Syria.
(Credit: Abu Ali Express)

[23]Iran Ships Ammunition to Russia by Caspian Sea to Aid Invasion of
Ukraine | Wall Street Journal

April 24, 2023: Over the past six months, Russian ships have transported
more than 300,000 artillery shells and a million rounds of ammunition from
Iran to Russia through the Caspian Sea. According to officials in the
Middle East, the most recent such shipment included 1,000 containers with
2,000 artillery shells on board the Rasul Gamzatov, a Russian cargo ship
owned by the shipping company MG-FLOT, formerly known as TransMorFlot LLC.
Publicly available shipping data showed that the vessel transited from
Bandar Amirabad, Iran, to Astrakhan, Russia, between March 8 and March 14,
and then made another trip in late March.

[24]Exclusive: Iran Exploits Earthquake Relief Mission to Fly Weapons to
Syria | Reuters

April 12, 2023: Iran funneled military equipment into Syria disguised as
humanitarian aid shipments following the February earthquake in Syria and
Turkey, according to Syrian, Iranian, Israeli, and Western sources. The
supplies included communications equipment, radar batteries, and spare
parts to upgrade Syria's air defense system. An Israeli defense official
said the shipments were organized by a unit of the Revolutionary Guard's
Quds Force and delivered to the Aleppo airport. Iran denied the claims.

[25]Iran in Secret Talks with China, Russia to Acquire Sanctioned Missile
Fuel | Politico

April 12, 2023: Iran has held secret talks with Russia and China to acquire
large quantities of ammonium perchlorate, according to diplomats familiar
with the matter. Ammonium perchlorate is an ingredient in solid missile
propellant. Sajjad Ahadzadeh, Iran's "technology counselor" in China, has
led the talks, which have also included Russian chemical maker FKP Anozit,
according to the diplomats.

FROM THE LIBRARY

The U.S. government continued its prosecutorial and sanctions efforts to
disrupt Iran’s military-related procurement.
* Two [26]U.S. residents were sentenced for their involvement in a 2015
scheme to sell Russian-made tank helmets to Iran - March 27.
* The Commerce Department [27]issued a 20-year denial order to Scott
Communications for allegedly attempting to export communications equipment
to Iran through Jordan - March 30.
* Two companies, Taiwan-based DES International Co. Ltd. and Brunei-based
Soltech Industry Co. Ltd., [28]admitted to working together to procure
U.S.-origin goods on behalf of an Iranian research center and were fined
and sentenced to corporate probation by a U.S. district court - April 18.
* The Treasury Department [29]sanctioned a network supplying Iran with
electronic components for its military programs, including drones - April
19.
* The Justice Department [30]filed a forfeiture action for more than one
million rounds of ammunition seized en route from Iran to Yemen in December
- March 31.

Western countries sought to further punish Iran for human rights
violations.
* U.S. resident Nellie Bahadorifar was [31]sentenced to four years in
prison for supporting an Iranian government plot to kidnap an Iranian human
rights activist living in New York - April 7.
* The [32]European Union, [33]United Kingdom, and [34]United States
announced sanctions against Iranian officials for censorship and the
violent suppression of protests in Iran - April 24.
* Canada also [35]imposed sanctions on Iranian security officials
involved in repression, as well as on individuals tied to Iran’s drone
program - March 27.

Iran Watch is a website published by the Wisconsin Project on Nuclear Arms
Control. The Wisconsin Project is a non-profit, non-partisan organization
that conducts research, advocacy, and public education aimed at inhibiting
strategic trade from contributing to the proliferation of weapons of mass
destruction.

Copyright © 2023 - Wisconsin Project on Nuclear Arms Control

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