Iran nuclear scientists made secret visit to Russia for laser tech: report

• Iranian nuclear scientists made a covert trip to Russia in November 2024 to acquire advanced laser technology from a sanctioned Russian firm with potential applications in nuclear weapons development.
• The Iranian delegation was linked to SPND, a military unit accused of spearheading nuclear weapons research, and the revelations follow the reinstatement of broad international sanctions on Iran.

New documents have revealed that Iranian nuclear scientists made a second covert trip to Russia in November 2024, seeking advanced laser technology with potential applications in nuclear weapons development, according to a Financial Times investigation.

This disclosure comes amid heightened nuclear tensions in 2025, following US and ‘Israeli’ airstrikes on Iranian facilities and the activation of international sanctions.

The delegation, linked to Iran's Organization of Defensive Innovation and Research (SPND), a military unit accused by the US of spearheading nuclear weapons research, traveled to St. Petersburg using diplomatic passports.

They met with representatives from Laser Systems, a Russian company under US sanctions for its work on dual-use technologies applicable to both civilian and military purposes, including classified projects.

The trip was organized by Ali Kalvand, an Iranian procurement agent, through DamavandTec, a front company for SPND. Invitations from Laser Systems director Dmitry Vasilyev emphasized "technological collaboration," and records show the visitors were physicists from defense-linked Iranian universities.

In February 2025, Laser Systems' Andrey Savin reciprocated with a visit to Tehran to meet SPND affiliates.

The laser expertise sought could enable Iran to validate nuclear weapon designs without conducting explosive tests, according to former CIA analyst Jim Lamson.

This aligns with broader concerns over Iran's nuclear program, which Tehran insists is peaceful, but which Western intelligence believes has shortened timelines for potential bomb assembly following partial damage from June 2025 strikes.

This second trip builds on an earlier covert visit in August 2024, also exposed by the Financial Times, where Iranian experts visited Russian institutes producing dual-use components.

In response to these activities, the US State Department sanctioned Kalvand and DamavandTec in October 2024 for procuring items related to nuclear explosive devices and facilitating such travel.

The revelations have intensified scrutiny as the UK, Germany, and France triggered the "snapback" mechanism under UN Security Council Resolution 2231 on August 28, 2025, reinstating broad sanctions due to Iran's non-compliance with the 2015 nuclear deal (JCPOA). These measures took effect in late September 2025, further isolating Tehran economically.