Formerly known as the Military Mechanical Institute Imeni Ustinova and the Military Mechanical Institute; listed in the context of assistance to Iran’s missile program in a July 2005 early warning document distributed by the German government to industry; sanctioned by the U.S. Department of the Treasury in February 1999 for materially contributing, or attempting to contribute, to a foreign country’s effort to acquire, produce and/or deliver weapons of mass destruction; sanctioned by the U.S. Department of State on July 30, 1998, for engaging in proliferation activities related to Iran’s missile programs; sanctions removed in February 2010; added in July 1998, to the U.S. “Entity List” of end users who have engaged in activities that could result in an increased risk of diversion to weapons of mass destruction programs, activities sanctioned by the U.S. State Department, or activities contrary to U.S. national security and/or foreign policy interests; placed on the Entity List when an investigation for suspected export control violations involving weapons of mass destruction and missile technology was being carried out by the Russian Government.
Founded in June 1930 to train engineers in the field of artillery and small arms development and production; possesses an experimental production plant, an engineering centre of jet technology study, and a computing centre; conducts research on aerospace equipment, dynamics and durability of mechanical systems, quality control and reliability of mechanical systems, robotic application problems, mechanotronics, and information processing.
In April 2000, its rector, Yuri Savel’ev (Yuri P. Savelyev), was alleged by the United States to have violated Russian export controls and attempted to export goods or services that could contribute to missiles capable of delivering weapons of mass destruction; reportedly, Savelyev arranged a deal in 1999 with the K. N. Toosi University of Technology to train Iranian graduate students in metallurgy, gas and fluid dynamics in high-temperature and pressure conditions in Iran; reportedly, in 1998 and 1999 Savelyev arranged deals with the Tehran University of Technology to train Iranian students; in 1996, Iranian students reportedly enrolled in BSTU’s mechanical engineering program, after the Russian Education Ministry rejected an agreement between Savelyev and rocket experts from Iran’s Ministry of Defense to train Iranian scientists in rocketry; in February 2000, Savelyev was reportedly ordered by the Russian government to close the training program, following an investigation by Russia’s Federal Service for Currency and Export Control that reportedly concluded that BSTU was transferring expertise that could be used in Iran’s missile program; Savelyev reportedly claimed that Russia had approved the program after removing courses in fuse technology, antitank rocket design and ignition and explosives.
Source: / Iranwatch /