On April 15, the security police in Norway has announced that the reason for the apprehension and investigation of these students is related to attempts to attain information concerning the development and advancement of WMD, especially nuclear weapons.

Of the 300 Iranian students studying in Norway, 64 are studying nuclear physics, electronics, metallurgy and mechanics and most of them have entered Norway in the past year.

Reporting on this matter, Tehran’s state-run Haft-e Sobh daily wrote on April 15: “Norway’s Network 2 has quoted the security police of this country on the expulsion and investigation on 64 Iranian students in their doctorate and masters studies in this country. According to unofficial reports, some of these students have been apprehended.”

This daily that considers this action as unconventional during the nuclear negotiations, wrote: “The Norwegian security police claims that these students have gone to Norway to study how to produce WMD. This unconventional act, following the Geneva agreement and Iran’s positive trend of negotiations with the West, seems irrational. Norway’s Network 2 which is one of the important and credible television channels of this country broadcasted a comprehensive report on the arrests and the investigations. It said that 300 Iranian students are studying in Norway.

“Norway’s security police say that one of the reasons for their suspicion is the marked increase on the number of Iranian students in the fields of nuclear physics, electronics, metallurgy and mechanics in the past year. Norwegian government has not published a list of the students that are under investigation.

“According to reports by Norway’s immigration office in 2012, one of the key reasons for refusing student visas to Iranian students who had been officially accepted to Norway’s universities and were awaiting their student visas to enter Norway, has been the direct interference of Norway’s security organization PST in the process of issuance of visa. The reason for this interference by Norway’s security police is concern for the possible danger of access of some Iranian students to the science and technology of producing nuclear weapons by studying in technical and engineering fields as well as in fields such as physics, chemistry and IT in Norway’s universities.

Mr. Martin Brensen, head of the security police organization, had previously stated that it is the responsibility of universities and educational institutions in Norway to be on the alert and responsible.”

The state-run Haft-e Sobh daily then refers to the record of expulsion of students affiliated with the Basij that are related to the revolutionary guards as follows:

“This firmness and interference by Norway’s security police called PST in the process of admission of Iranian students to the universities of this country has happened in the past as well.

“This is not the first time that a European government treats us as such. Previously, once in 2009 and then in 2012, the Dutch government imposed special regulations to limit the university studies in that country. In 2012, the Dutch immigration office sent correspondence to the international section of a number of Dutch universities and declared that any decision to issue residence visas (over 90 days), or issuing and extending residence permission to Iranians, especially the students during their studies, has been suspended.”