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Mohammadreza Pakatchian said he chose to study aerospace engineering at Carleton University because it was a \u201cgreat opportunity\u201d to further his skills and knowledge.<\/p>\n
In its acceptance letter to the Iranian, Carleton University offered him a scholarship, while an MP\u2019s office spoke with immigration officials about his student visa.<\/p>\n
But Canada\u2019s national security agencies aren\u2019t so keen on the 41-year-old doctoral student.<\/p>\n
They have flagged Pakatchian as a security threat, warning that he is pursuing studies that will advance the Islamic Republic\u2019s weapons programs.<\/p>\n
Classified intelligence reports obtained by Global News allege that Pakatchian works for an Iranian company that has been sanctioned due to its role in weapons of mass destruction (WMD).<\/p>\n
He is also associated with an Iranian academic whose research focuses on ballistic missiles and other military technology, the Canadian Security Intelligence Service wrote.<\/p>\n
Further, Pakatchian obtained his master\u2019s degree at an Iranian university known for its work on uranium enrichment, nuclear implosion and missile guidance, the CSIS report said.<\/p>\n
Upon completing his studies in Ottawa, CSIS added, Pakatchian intends to return to the same sanctioned Iranian company that employs him to apply what he has learned.<\/p>\n
According to the national security reports, Pakatchian, who said he began studies at Carleton online in 2023, \u201crepresents a danger to the security of Canada.\u201d<\/p>\n
His research interests \u201chave the potential of being used for nefarious purposes,\u201d a Canada Border Services Agency report added in its report on Pakatchian.<\/p>\n
The \u201cknowledge he will gain through his studies could be used to contribute to advancing Iran\u2019s military and weapons systems,\u201d it said.<\/p>\n
On Feb. 17, immigration officials wrote that if Pakatchian continued pursuing his PhD at Carleton, \u201cthe expertise gained in Canada will likely be transferred and used to further Iran\u2019s WMD programs.\u201d<\/p>\n
Pakatchian did not respond to emails, and his lawyer declined to comment, saying he did not have his client\u2019s permission to speak.<\/p>\n
The CBSA and CSIS would not comment on the case.<\/p>\n
Nor did Carleton University respond to questions about why it accepted a doctoral student employed by a sanctioned Iranian company.<\/p>\n
\t\t\t\t\tMohammadreza Pakatchian is pursuing studies at Carleton University that Canadian official say will help Iran\u2019s mass weapons programs.\t\t\t\t <\/p>\n
\t\t\t\t\tFedral Court\t\t\t\t<\/p>\n
The U.S. and Israeli war that began in February<\/a> showed that Iran\u2019s military had amassed a significant stockpile of missiles and drones.<\/p>\n While the thousands of missiles Iran launched during the conflict were not state-of-the-art, they were a step above those it had used previously.<\/p>\n \u201cThe performance of Iran\u2019s missile, and drone programs for that matter, in the war of 2026, was better than what we\u2019ve seen in the past,\u201d said Prof. Thomas Juneau.<\/p>\n A Middle East expert at the University of Ottawa, Juneau said that many of Iran\u2019s missiles failed upon launch during 2024 fighting with Israel.<\/p>\n \u201cThere is a trend of improvement in the accuracy, but also in the reliability,\u201d said Juneau, who teaches at the Graduate School of Public and International Affairs.<\/p>\n Matthew Levitt, a fellow at the Washington Institute for Near East Policy, agreed that Iran\u2019s drones and missiles proved to be \u201chighly developed\u201d during the recent war.<\/p>\n \u201cAuthorities have long been concerned that Iranian scientists studying abroad may be trying to fill gaps in knowledge or components for these programs,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n Juneau said he was not familiar with Pakatchian\u2019s case, and it was possible the Iranian was pursuing studies in Canada for legitimate purposes.<\/p>\n \u201cBut it\u2019s equally conceivable that he could be here for the very specific purposes of coming back to Iran to work on something directly or indirectly related to the missile or drone program,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n \u201cWe know that Iran does that.\u201d<\/p>\n Nonetheless, the deal U.S. President Donald Trump negotiated to end the war makes no mention of missiles, and he said last week it would be \u201cunfair\u201d not to allow Iran to possess the weapons.<\/p>\n \t\t\t\tCarleton offered scholarship\n\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/p>\n \t\t\t\t\tCarleton University, Ottawa, Oct. 25, 2017. THE CANADIAN PRESS\/Adrian Wyld.\t\t\t\t <\/p>\n When Pakatchian first applied to pursue his PhD at Carleton University in 2022, the dean not only said he was \u201cpleased\u201d to accept him but also offered him $8,000 in scholarships.<\/p>\n The money was described as a way to offset higher foreign student fees, according to Pakatchian\u2019s immigration file, which was released to Global News.<\/p>\n The records also show that Liberal MP Yasir Naqvi\u2019s office spoke with Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship Canada officials about a student visa for Pakatchian.<\/p>\n Carleton University is part of Naqvi\u2019s Ottawa Centre riding.<\/p>\n The MP\u2019s staff said in a statement to Global News that riding offices routinely helped constituents with immigration-related matters but were \u201cnot privy\u201d to information from CSIS or CBSA.<\/p>\n Records show the MP\u2019s office dealt with Pakatchian\u2019s case in July 2023 \u2014 four months after national security officials had identified Pakatchian as a security threat.<\/p>\n Marked Secret\/Canadian Eyes Only, the papers describe international efforts to prevent Iran from obtaining the technology and materials needed to develop mass weapons.<\/p>\n The CBSA wrote that in 2018, Trump unilaterally pulled out of the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action put in place in 2015 to stop Iran\u2019s nuclear program.<\/p>\n In response, Tehran resumed \u201cproliferation activities, including amassing a stockpile of enriched uranium and installing more centrifuges,\u201d the CBSA wrote.<\/p>\n Trump\u2019s actions left sanctions<\/a> as a remaining curb on Iran\u2019s mass weapons, and among the entities targeted was MAPNA, where Pakatchian had worked since 2009.<\/p>\n Canada had sanctioned MAPNA under its Special Economic Measures Act in 2016, citing the company for its \u201cgrave breach of international peace and security.\u201d<\/p>\n Pakatchian is a MAPNA designer of axial compressors, which\u00a0power jet engines\u00a0and have both commercial and military uses, according to the CBSA.<\/p>\n When he applied for a student visa to attend Carleton, he named Mahmoud Mani, a professor at Amirkabir University in Tehran, as a reference.<\/p>\n Mani\u2019s research is \u201cunequivocally and overwhelmingly focused on military\u00a0end-use\u00a0applications,\u201d such as missile aerodynamics, rocket engines and ballistic missiles, CSIS said.<\/p>\n At Carleton\u2019s department of aerospace engineering, Pakatchian had chosen as his academic supervisor a professor who was conducting research involving fighter jets and drones, CSIS added.<\/p>\n \u201cThis is a great opportunity for me because of Carleton mechanical engineering infrastructures and faculty members,\u201d Pakatchian wrote in a letter to Canada\u2019s immigration department.<\/p>\n \u201cSo when I come back to my home country, I will be able to use my acquired knowledge in this area to improve my current profession by using new state of the art methods,\u201d he wrote in another letter.<\/p>\n But in its report on Pakatchian, the CBSA wrote \u201cintangible technology transfer which could advance Iranian military programs\u201d are a security threat to Canada.<\/p>\n If Pakatchian \u201cis allowed to pursue his studies in Canada, an intangible transfer of technology and knowledge could take place which could advance Iran\u2019s military programs and capabilities,\u201d the agency wrote.<\/p>\n \t\t\t\t\tIranian missile that landed near the West Bank city of Jericho, June 8, 2026. (AP Photo\/Mahmoud Illean).\t\t\t\t <\/p>\n Pakatchian\u2019s immigration records indicate that he arrived in Canada in 2023, the same year he began his studies at Carleton and co-authored a paper with one of the university\u2019s professors.<\/p>\n His current whereabouts are unknown, but in May, he brought a case before the Federal Court<\/a> seeking an order compelling the government to rule on his student visa.<\/p>\n He also wanted $10,000 to compensate him for the delays he claimed he faced awaiting his visa. The judge dismissed his application on June 9.<\/p>\n