Government investigators are preparing to give law enforcement agencies a dossier of evidence on 21 UK-based academics accused of helping Iran develop military and “dual use” technology.

The probe, which was announced by Prime Minister Rishi Sunak in June, was triggered by a series of JC investigations exposing research collaborations between scientists based in Britain and the Islamic Republic.

The prime minister made the announcement in response to a parliamentary question from former Cabinet minister and senior Tory MP David Davis who, citing the JC, said the collaborations had “potential Iranian military applications, including in drone engines, fighter jets, battlefield armour, and laser communication”.

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How the JC broke the story

In the first official update since Sunak’s announcement, a government spokesperson told the JC this week that the investigation was being carried out by a team of five officials from the Department for Business and Trade (DBT), working with colleagues from the Ministry of Defence, the Foreign Office, His Majesty’s Revenue and Customs (HMRC) and the Department for Science, Innovation and Technology.

“The government has been actively investigating the press articles that UK universities are collaborating with Iran to develop drones and other technologies linked to Iran’s military programmes,” the spokesperson said, adding that the inquiry was “working to establish the facts for 13 cases relating to 11 UK universities and 21 identified UK academics”.

As the inquiry progressed, the spokesperson said, the investigators would submit a dossier to HMRC, which “has responsibility for the enforcement of export and trade controls, as well as trade sanctions and embargoes”.

The evidence would also be handed to the Office for Financial Sanctions Implementation (OFSI), part of the Treasury, they said.

OFSI has the power to levy fines of up to £1 million on individuals and institutions if it considers it is more likely than not that they have breached UK sanctions, while HMRC can initiate criminal prosecutions.

Those convicted of breaching sanctions by a criminal court face a maximum sentence of seven years’ imprisonment.

Low Res Shahed-136 known as Suicide Drone 2n8n8wb

Iran’s Shahed 136 suicide drones, used to attack Ukrainian targets by Russia (Photo: Alamy)

It is understood that the initial phase of the inquiry is likely to be finished by the end of this year, when the dossier will be submitted to OFSI and HMRC.

The universities identified by the JC as having sponsored the Anglo-Iranian research projects include Imperial College and King’s College in London; Cranfield; Cambridge; Glasgow; Edinburgh; Liverpool and Northumbria.

They have all denied any wrongdoing and it is not yet known which of these institutions is to be investigated.

When he announced the inquiry Sunak said: “We take all allegations of breaches in export controls seriously and it’s my understanding is that officials in the department for business and trade are now currently investigating the allegations made [in the JC].

“We will not accept collaborations that compromise our national security and that’s why we’ve made our systems more robust, expanding the scope of the academic technology approval scheme to protect UK research.”