Sanctions against Iranian scientists
Encyclopedia
Scientific sanctions against Iranians include all actions taken to directly or indirectly suppress Iranian scientific community. United States
and several other western countries, their scientific communities and companies have been actively involved in suppression of Iranian scientific community and the development of science and technology in Iran
.
This page mainly covers those scientific suppressions that target Iranian nationals. The actions have generated huge body of concerns over ethics
and human rights
.
At a meeting in Washington on 9 February, David Mills, the treasury official in charge of implementing the policy, told representatives of 30 publishers that anyone wanting to publish papers from Iran should seek a licence from the treasury department. He also suggested that US scientists collaborating with Iranians could be prosecuted.http://www.nature.com/nature/journal/v427/n6976/full/427663a_fs.html
passed the Florida Travel Act, which prevents state universities from funding travel to countries listed by the United States Department of State
as state sponsors of terrorism. Cuba
, Iran, Sudan
and Syria
currently receive this designation. Although the law does not prevent anyone from traveling to one of these countries, it does ban state-funded institutions from using their own funds to organize such travel, including funds provided by private sources. According to The Christian Science Monitor
, this law was widely seen as a means of strengthening the US embargo against Cuba
. The American Civil Liberties Union
filed a lawsuit seeking to overturn the Travel Act. In 2008, a Federal judge ruled that the portions of the law restricting private funding for foreign travel were unconstitutional, but in 2010 the 11th Circuit Court of Appeals reversed the lower court's ruling and reinstated the law. The court stated that private foundations could still fund travel to these countries by individuals affiliated with state colleges and universities as long as they did not involve those universities administratively.
With 1700 IEEE members, Iran by far suffered the most. According to Fredun Hojabri, president of Sharif University of Technology
Association, a nonprofit that represents alumni, faculty, and students of Iran's premier engineering university, the saga began when IEEE officials determined that they would violate OFAC sanctions if they proceeded with a conference in Iran. In a 14 January 2002 letter to IEEE members at the University of Tehran, then-president Joel Snyder wrote that "the IEEE can no longer offer full membership privileges or support activities" in Iran. Then, without notice, IEEE blocked Iranian members from accessing their e-mail accounts through IEEE.org, asserts Hojabri, a chemist.http://www.sciencemag.org/cgi/content/full/301/5640/1646
Months of protest letters from Iran's engineering community have failed to sway IEEE. The institute declined to respond to questions from Science
.http://www.sciencemag.org/cgi/content/full/301/5640/1646
"In response, the Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers
(IEEE) stopped accepting manuscripts from researchers."
Subsequently IEEE took steps to clarify the OFAC guidelines concerning its publishing and editing activities. In April 2004 IEEE received a response from OFAC which fully resolved that no licenses were needed for publishing works from Iran and that the entire IEEE publication process including peer review and editing was exempt from restrictions. “US Reverses Journal Embargo", The Scientist, April 7, 2004.
On August 14, 2006, Zahed Sheikholeslami, president of SUTA, wrote a letter to Condoleezza Rice
, US Secretary of State, complaining about the unnecessarily harsh and humiliating treatment of Iranian professionals upon their recent attempt to legally enter the United States. http://www.suta.org/visa/Letters/To-Dr-Rice/
ian government refused to grant visa to 35 Iranian scientists who were invited to attend a gathering on the Synchrotron Light for Experimental Science and Applications in the Middle East (SESAME) project, held in Alexandria (2006). The invited Iranian scientists say they never heard from the Egyptian embassy in Tehran after submitting their visa applications at least 6 weeks beforehand. "If this is not hostile treatment, I don't know what is," says Reza Mansouri
, a physicist at Sharif University in Tehran and one of two Iranian representatives on the SESAME council. Iranian contingents have attended four previous user meetings held elsewhere in the region.http://www.sciencemag.org/cgi/content/full/314/5806/1668b
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
and several other western countries, their scientific communities and companies have been actively involved in suppression of Iranian scientific community and the development of science and technology in Iran
Science and technology in Iran
Persia was a cradle of science in earlier times. Persian scientists contributed to the current understanding of nature, medicine, mathematics, and philosophy. Persians made important contributions to algebra and chemistry, invented the wind-power machine, and the first distillation of alcohol...
.
This page mainly covers those scientific suppressions that target Iranian nationals. The actions have generated huge body of concerns over ethics
Ethics
Ethics, also known as moral philosophy, is a branch of philosophy that addresses questions about morality—that is, concepts such as good and evil, right and wrong, virtue and vice, justice and crime, etc.Major branches of ethics include:...
and human rights
Human rights
Human rights are "commonly understood as inalienable fundamental rights to which a person is inherently entitled simply because she or he is a human being." Human rights are thus conceived as universal and egalitarian . These rights may exist as natural rights or as legal rights, in both national...
.
Central government sponsored scientific suppressions
In February 2004, the US Department of the Treasury has ruled that editing or publishing scientific manuscripts from Iran violates the trade embargo on this country. US publishers and scientific societies were divided over how to respond. IEEE, American Nuclear Society, the American Chemical Society and the American Society for Microbiology followed the policy.At a meeting in Washington on 9 February, David Mills, the treasury official in charge of implementing the policy, told representatives of 30 publishers that anyone wanting to publish papers from Iran should seek a licence from the treasury department. He also suggested that US scientists collaborating with Iranians could be prosecuted.http://www.nature.com/nature/journal/v427/n6976/full/427663a_fs.html
Florida Travel Act
In June 2006, the Florida LegislatureFlorida Legislature
The Florida State Legislature is the term often used to refer to the two houses that act as the state legislature of the U.S. state of Florida. The Florida Constitution states that "The legislative power of the state shall be vested in a legislature of the State of Florida," composed of a Senate...
passed the Florida Travel Act, which prevents state universities from funding travel to countries listed by the United States Department of State
United States Department of State
The United States Department of State , is the United States federal executive department responsible for international relations of the United States, equivalent to the foreign ministries of other countries...
as state sponsors of terrorism. Cuba
Cuba
The Republic of Cuba is an island nation in the Caribbean. The nation of Cuba consists of the main island of Cuba, the Isla de la Juventud, and several archipelagos. Havana is the largest city in Cuba and the country's capital. Santiago de Cuba is the second largest city...
, Iran, Sudan
Sudan
Sudan , officially the Republic of the Sudan , is a country in North Africa, sometimes considered part of the Middle East politically. It is bordered by Egypt to the north, the Red Sea to the northeast, Eritrea and Ethiopia to the east, South Sudan to the south, the Central African Republic to the...
and Syria
Syria
Syria , officially the Syrian Arab Republic , is a country in Western Asia, bordering Lebanon and the Mediterranean Sea to the West, Turkey to the north, Iraq to the east, Jordan to the south, and Israel to the southwest....
currently receive this designation. Although the law does not prevent anyone from traveling to one of these countries, it does ban state-funded institutions from using their own funds to organize such travel, including funds provided by private sources. According to The Christian Science Monitor
The Christian Science Monitor
The Christian Science Monitor is an international newspaper published daily online, Monday to Friday, and weekly in print. It was started in 1908 by Mary Baker Eddy, the founder of the Church of Christ, Scientist. As of 2009, the print circulation was 67,703.The CSM is a newspaper that covers...
, this law was widely seen as a means of strengthening the US embargo against Cuba
United States embargo against Cuba
The United States embargo against Cuba is a commercial, economic, and financial embargo partially imposed on Cuba in October 1960...
. The American Civil Liberties Union
American Civil Liberties Union
The American Civil Liberties Union is a U.S. non-profit organization whose stated mission is "to defend and preserve the individual rights and liberties guaranteed to every person in this country by the Constitution and laws of the United States." It works through litigation, legislation, and...
filed a lawsuit seeking to overturn the Travel Act. In 2008, a Federal judge ruled that the portions of the law restricting private funding for foreign travel were unconstitutional, but in 2010 the 11th Circuit Court of Appeals reversed the lower court's ruling and reinstated the law. The court stated that private foundations could still fund travel to these countries by individuals affiliated with state colleges and universities as long as they did not involve those universities administratively.
IEEE and suppression of Iranian scientists
IEEE publishes 30% of the world's literature on computing, electronics, and electrical engineering and has 380,000 members in 150 nations. In January 2002, IEEE stripped members in Iran of certain benefits, including the use of the IEEE logo to promote activities, electronic access to publications, and access to job listings.http://www.sciencemag.org/cgi/content/full/301/5640/1646With 1700 IEEE members, Iran by far suffered the most. According to Fredun Hojabri, president of Sharif University of Technology
Sharif University of Technology
Sharif University of Technology is a university of higher education in technology, engineering and physical sciences in Tehran. Sharif University of Technology is one of the most prestigious universities in the country, and is considered Iran's MIT...
Association, a nonprofit that represents alumni, faculty, and students of Iran's premier engineering university, the saga began when IEEE officials determined that they would violate OFAC sanctions if they proceeded with a conference in Iran. In a 14 January 2002 letter to IEEE members at the University of Tehran, then-president Joel Snyder wrote that "the IEEE can no longer offer full membership privileges or support activities" in Iran. Then, without notice, IEEE blocked Iranian members from accessing their e-mail accounts through IEEE.org, asserts Hojabri, a chemist.http://www.sciencemag.org/cgi/content/full/301/5640/1646
Months of protest letters from Iran's engineering community have failed to sway IEEE. The institute declined to respond to questions from Science
Science Magazine
Science Magazine was a half-hour television show produced by the Canadian Broadcasting Corporation from 1975 to 1979.The show was hosted by geneticist David Suzuki, who previously hosted the daytime youth programme Suzuki On Science...
.http://www.sciencemag.org/cgi/content/full/301/5640/1646
"In response, the Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers
Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers
The Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers is a non-profit professional association headquartered in New York City that is dedicated to advancing technological innovation and excellence...
(IEEE) stopped accepting manuscripts from researchers."
Subsequently IEEE took steps to clarify the OFAC guidelines concerning its publishing and editing activities. In April 2004 IEEE received a response from OFAC which fully resolved that no licenses were needed for publishing works from Iran and that the entire IEEE publication process including peer review and editing was exempt from restrictions. “US Reverses Journal Embargo", The Scientist, April 7, 2004.
Sharif University alumni denied entry into the US
More than 80 of those who were recently granted visas specifically to attend the 4th International Reunion and Conference of Sharif University of Technology Association (SUTA) in Santa Clara, CA were denied entry into the US and were subjected to "inhumane and harsh treatment", including incarceration and chaining of them and their family members.http://www.suta.org/visa/On August 14, 2006, Zahed Sheikholeslami, president of SUTA, wrote a letter to Condoleezza Rice
Condoleezza Rice
Condoleezza Rice is an American political scientist and diplomat. She served as the 66th United States Secretary of State, and was the second person to hold that office in the administration of President George W. Bush...
, US Secretary of State, complaining about the unnecessarily harsh and humiliating treatment of Iranian professionals upon their recent attempt to legally enter the United States. http://www.suta.org/visa/Letters/To-Dr-Rice/
SESAME project incident
EgyptEgypt
Egypt , officially the Arab Republic of Egypt, Arabic: , is a country mainly in North Africa, with the Sinai Peninsula forming a land bridge in Southwest Asia. Egypt is thus a transcontinental country, and a major power in Africa, the Mediterranean Basin, the Middle East and the Muslim world...
ian government refused to grant visa to 35 Iranian scientists who were invited to attend a gathering on the Synchrotron Light for Experimental Science and Applications in the Middle East (SESAME) project, held in Alexandria (2006). The invited Iranian scientists say they never heard from the Egyptian embassy in Tehran after submitting their visa applications at least 6 weeks beforehand. "If this is not hostile treatment, I don't know what is," says Reza Mansouri
Reza Mansouri
Reza Mansouri is an Iranian physicist who was an influential figure in Iranian science in the late 20th century.Reza Mansouri received his Ph.D. in 1972 from the University of Vienna under Roman Ulrich Sexl. He was also an Assistant Professor there for five years. He is one of the leading figures...
, a physicist at Sharif University in Tehran and one of two Iranian representatives on the SESAME council. Iranian contingents have attended four previous user meetings held elsewhere in the region.http://www.sciencemag.org/cgi/content/full/314/5806/1668b
Criticisms
A spokesperson for the American Geophysical Union, which has a dozen members in Iran, says AGU does not consider publishing to be a trade issue and "accepts paper submissions from anywhere in the world." The American Society of Mechanical Engineers echoes that view, as does AAAS, Sciences publisher. "We do not put any restrictions on submission or publication of papers based on economic or other sanctions," says Monica Bradford, executive editor of Science.http://www.sciencemag.org/cgi/content/full/301/5640/1646See also
- Higher education in IranHigher education in IranIran has a large network of private, public, and state affiliated universities offering degrees in higher education. State-run universities of Iran are under the direct supervision of Iran's Ministry of Science, Research and Technology and Ministry of Health and Medical Education .-Pre-Islamic...
- Anti-IranianismAnti-IranianismAnti-Iranian sentiment is feelings and expression of hostility, hatred, discrimination, or prejudice towards Iran and its culture, and towards persons based on their association with Iran and Iranian culture...
- Sanctions against IranSanctions against IranThis article outlines economic, trade, scientific and military sanctions against Iran, which have been imposed by the U.S. government, or under U.S. pressure by the international community through the United Nations Security Council...
- Science in Iran
- University of Chicago's Persian heritage crisisChicago's Persian heritage crisisChicago's Persian heritage crisis refers to a threat to seize invaluable Persian antiquities kept at the University of Chicago by the United States federal courts and also a threat to numerous other Persian antiquities kept in the Field Museum in Chicago...
- Academic boycotts of IsraelAcademic boycotts of IsraelProposals for an academic boycott of Israel have been inspired by the historic academic boycotts of South Africa which were an attempt to pressure South Africa to end its policies of Apartheid....
- Academic boycotts of South AfricaAcademic boycotts of South AfricaThe academic boycott of South Africa consisted of series of boycotts of South African academic institutions and scholars initiated in the 1960s, at the request of the African National Congress, with the goal of using such international pressure to force the end South Africa's system of apartheid...
External links
- IEEE Under Fire for Withdrawing Iranian Members’ Benefits (pdf) (2)
- Anti-terrorism or anti-science?
- http://www.sciencemag.org/cgi/content/full/309/5742/1802?maxtoshow=&HITS=10&hits=10&RESULTFORMAT=&fulltext=%28sanctions+AND+Iran+AND+scientists+AND+science%29&searchid=1&FIRSTINDEX=0&resourcetype=HWCITScience: "On one hand, Iran has more collaborative projects with the United States than with any other nation. On the other hand, sanctions imposed by the United States after the revolution have taken a toll on science."] (in pdf)
- Iranian professionals detained at S.F. airport, face deportation
- Sharif Technical University REUNION 2006 (BBC Persian)
- Nature journal: Reza Mansouri explains hostilities toward Iranian scientists