Iranian Entity: Shahid Beheshti University

Announced location of a 2008 exhibition of nuclear industry achievements, sponsored by the Atomic Energy Organization of Iran (AEOI - see separate entity record); faculties include biological sciences, nuclear engineering, and electrical and computer engineering; maintains nuclear physics, computational physics, advanced physics, vacuum technology, and laser laboratories; maintains a Laser and Plasma Research Institute, which allegedly carries out research that could contribute to a laser isotope separation (LIS) program, with applications for uranium enrichment; reportedly collaborated with the Iranian Defense Industry's Training and Research Institute, headed by Dr. Mohammad Eslami (see separate entity records), in designing and building a plasma thruster and a non-destructive laser system for testing thermal and mechanical effects on satellites; professors of the university reportedly involved in the decision to introduce a laser studies program at the Shahid Sattari Aviation Academy (see separate entity record) to arm the Iranian Air Force with laser systems; Fereydoon Abbasi (see separate entity record), a senior Ministry of Defense and Armed Forces Logistics (MODAFL - see separate entity record) scientist with links to Iran's Institute of Applied Physics (see separate entity record), is reportedly affiliated with the university; cooperates with Iranian Central Oil Fields Co. (ICOFC - see separate entity record); has allegedly been used by the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC - see separate entity record) for nuclear research and development; according to the National Council of Resistance of Iran (NCRI), one or more former deputies of Iranian nuclear engineer Mohsen Fakhrizadeh (see separate entity record) have been reassigned to the university's nuclear department; Dr. Hamid Lotfi (Hamid Latifi), former head of the university, is allegedly a laser enrichment expert associated with AEOI; established in 1959 as the National University of Iran; reportedly formerly known as Melli University; established a university branch in Dubai; university president, Ahmad Shaabani; deputy dean of the nuclear engineering faculty, reportedly Dr. Aqamiri; dean of the Laser and Plasma Research Institute, Dr. Reza Massudi.