Most major countries have exchange students going back and forth at any given time. This is increasingly perilous, however, as nations look to use those students, and the access they’re given, as a political issue.
Norwegian prosecutors are reporting that an unnamed German-Iranian professor at the technical university in Trondheim is charged with violating sanctions against Iran, related to the access given to Iranian research students at the university.
While nominally a violation of “nuclear sanctions,” the details don’t suggest that this is directly about access to anything directly related to the nuclear program. Instead, the researchers were given access to a lab allowing analyses of metal alloys.
The argument is that this could’ve conceivably been useful to Iran’s nuclear program. There does not appear to be any evidence it was used in this way.
The professor’s lawyer denies wrongdoing, and says he’s left Norway at any rate. He is reportedly willing to return to stand trial, though details on that are still not clear.
I see a manipulative US hand in that, much like the allegations so conveniently made against Assange. The Norwegians and Swedes should know better, have a bit more pride than to be used this way.
Learning to analyze metal alloys is dangerous for our CIA because these students can now quikly debunk another false-flag “they are getting new aluminum tubes for U235 enrichment!”
It is more like Fartway than Norway…!
Alloy fabrication can be a critical part of the weapons process-e.g. Berylium tubing resistant to Uranium flouride gas.