A covert Iranian procurement network is bypassing international sanctions by using Vienna-based companies to purchase sensitive nuclear technology.
According to a new investigative report by Iran International, Iranian operatives have built a sophisticated supply chain stretching from Tehran to Austria, acquiring dual-use and military-grade equipment for Iran’s Organization of Defensive Innovation and Research, known as SPND.
Procurement activities focus heavily on neutronics—a highly specialized discipline vital to controlling nuclear chain reactions and, in military applications, producing neutrons for weapons design.
Tehran passed legislation in 2024 that granted SPND official recognition under Iranian law and placed it directly under the Supreme Leader’s authority.
The agency has faced Western sanctions for years over its role in potential weapons of mass destruction proliferation, with more than 30 of its scientists under U.S. sanctions along with multiple front companies.
