The Islamic Republic of Iran’s efforts to secure illicit nuclear technology is detailed in an intelligence report recently released by Sweden’s Security Service.
According to the Swedish Security Service Yearbook report released in March, which covers the year 2021, “Iran also conducts industrial espionage such as primarily aimed at Swedish high-tech industry and Swedish products that can be used in a nuclear weapons program.”
It added, “Iranian intelligence officers act, among other things, under diplomatic cover in Sweden.”
The U.S. and other world powers are within striking distance of an agreement that would temporarily restrict Iran’s nuclear weapons project in exchange for sanctions relief worth over $100 billion.
Israel’s government vehemently opposes the prospective deal because it does not put a permanent halt to Iran’s nuclear program and the deal’s provisions cannot be easily enforced. Moreover, it would give the Iranian regime the financial means to fund expanded terrorism against the Jewish state and other Mideast and Western countries.
The Swedish report’s findings are similar to the assessment of Iran’s alleged illegal activity in Sweden in 2020. According to the 2020 report, Tehran was dedicated to its efforts to secure nuclear weapons material and technology. The report noted, “Iran is investing heavy resources in this area and some of the resources are used in Sweden.”
The new revelations about Iran’s illicit nuclear weapons procurement efforts in Sweden follow disclosures by Germany regarding Iran’s efforts to secure technology for its nuclear and ballistic missile programs.
In June, Germany’s Federal Office for the Protection of the Constitution, akin to the U.S.'s FBI, released a report that stated, “The German domestic intelligence agencies were able to identify a significant increase in the proliferation-related procurement attempts by Iran for its nuclear program.”
The report added that proliferation “activities of foreign powers also include the procurement of know-how and products for the development and production of weapons of mass destruction and delivery technologies.” Delivery technology refers to the capability to build and fire ballistic missiles.
The report added that the German Customs Investigation Bureau (ZKA) launched an investigation against a German citizen of Iranian origin on “suspicion of having violated the Foreign Trade Law in three commercial cases. He is said to have been involved in procuring laboratory equipment and spectrometers for Iran’s nuclear and missile program.”
The Iranian regime is pursuing “one of the largest missile programs in the Middle East,” the report stated. “Iran is accused of supplying rockets and drone technology to the Houthi rebels in Yemen, among others, who in turn use them against the United Arab Emirates and its allies.”
The report noted that “Iran’s ambitious missile program is not covered by the provisions of the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action [the Iran nuclear deal]” and “the procurement activities in Germany to this end [expanding the missile program] are consistently high—with an upward trend.”
