Covert Iran-Russia Talks on Nuclear Tech Revealed by Leaked Documents

 

A group of Iranian scientists linked to Tehran’s controversial defense research unit visited Russian scientific facilities in August 2024, in a covert mission to explore nuclear-related technologies with potential weapons applications.

According to the Financial Times on August 5, the delegation sought access to Russian expertise in dual-use technologies, including tools for simulating nuclear explosions and radioactive isotopes that can enhance the yield of nuclear warheads.

The investigation is based on internal correspondence, travel records, and corporate documents obtained from Iranian and Russian sources.

The five-member Iranian group was led by nuclear physicist Ali Kalvand, who Western officials identify as a senior figure in Iran’s Organization of Defensive Innovation and Research (SPND). The United States has designated SPND as the successor to Iran’s pre-2004 nuclear weapons program.

The delegation included representatives from DamavandTec, a Tehran-based company under US sanctions for its procurement activities for SPND, and an officer from Iran’s military counterintelligence service.

Documents obtained by FT, including correspondence, travel records, and corporate filings, indicate that the Iranian group visited at least two Russian institutions: Tekhnoekspert and the Toriy Research Center.

Both are associated with technologies that non-proliferation experts say could aid in the testing of nuclear weapons, such as electron accelerators and klystrons used in flash X-ray systems. These systems can simulate the internal dynamics of a nuclear explosion without detonation, a technique used to assess the performance of a weapon’s implosion mechanism.

Western intelligence agencies have assessed that while Iran has not formally restarted its nuclear weapons program — halted in 2003 by Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei — it has taken steps to maintain technical knowledge that would reduce the time needed to build a nuclear device if a political decision were made.

In May 2024, DamavandTec submitted a request to a Russian supplier for radioactive isotopes, including tritium — a material subject to strict international controls due to its role in boosting the explosive yield of nuclear warheads.

While there is no evidence the isotopes were delivered, experts say such inquiries from defense-linked entities are considered significant proliferation risks.

Among the Iranian delegates was Soroush Mohtashami, a nuclear physicist with expertise in neutron generators, which are components with both civilian and military uses, including in initiating nuclear explosions.

His doctoral advisor, Fereydoon Abbasi-Davani, was sanctioned by the UN for involvement in Iran’s prior nuclear weapons efforts. Abbasi-Davani was later killed in an Israeli airstrike targeting SPND’s headquarters in June 2025, during the Israel-Iran conflict.

Other members of the delegation included individuals previously linked to sanctioned entities, such as Javad Ghasemi, a former executive of Paradise Medical Pioneers and current CEO of Imen Gostar Raman Kish, both of which have connections to Iran’s defense sector and the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC).

Kalvand, a graduate of Kyiv Polytechnic Institute and fluent Russian speaker, received a formal invitation to Moscow from Russian scientist Oleg Maslennikov, whose firms produce technologies relevant to both space communications and nuclear research. According to FT, the group’s visit to such facilities would have required approval from Russian security services.

The report comes amid broader concerns about the evolving nature of Iran-Russia cooperation. While Russia has historically opposed Iran’s development of nuclear weapons, some Western analysts suggest that Moscow’s stance may be shifting in the context of its geopolitical competition with the West.

Russia’s ongoing war against Ukraine, they argue, could be prompting Moscow to reconsider previous non-proliferation commitments.

US officials and non-proliferation experts continue to monitor SPND’s activities closely, noting that the organization’s strategy appears focused on maintaining the scientific and technical base required for potential future weaponization, rather than engaging in overt violations of international agreements.

Tehran has consistently denied pursuing nuclear weapons, citing religious prohibitions and maintaining that its nuclear program is strictly peaceful. The Iranian government did not respond to FT’s request for comment. Kremlin spokesperson Dmitry Peskov, as well as representatives of the Russian institutions named in the investigation, also declined to comment.

While Israel has conducted multiple strikes on facilities and personnel connected to SPND, experts caution that the underlying infrastructure and institutional knowledge may remain intact.

“Israel can’t totally destroy Iran’s nuclear programme,” said Nicole Grajewski of the Carnegie Endowment for International Peace. “Because Iran has built a system designed to outlast individual scientists.”

Earlier this year, Iran’s parliament ratified a 20-year strategic cooperation pact with Russia, formalizing joint commitments in military, technological, and economic domains. The agreement includes provisions for arms transfers, joint exercises, and collaboration in nuclear and digital technologies — deepening the bilateral alliance at a time of mounting Western sanctions.