A suspicious deal with Iran puts an Austrian company under scrutiny
A potential partnership between the Austrian company MedAustron located in Wiener Neustadt and Iran has sparked intense political controversy, following the revelation of cooperation with the Iranian company Novin Engineering and Trading Company, which is said to be working on behalf of the Iranian Atomic Energy Organization (AEOI) to establish a medical center near Tehran using advanced Austrian technology. The liberal party Neos described the matter as "requiring significant clarifications," and its vice president in Niederösterreich, Helmut Hofer-Gruber, submitted a parliamentary question to the state governor, Johanna Mikl-Leitner (from the ÖVP party), demanding full disclosure of the cooperation details.
Although Austria declared its permanent neutrality in 1955, establishing trade relations with a country like Iran, which is accused of seeking to acquire nuclear weapons and committing serious human rights violations, is considered a sensitive and dangerous matter. The Austrian company, which operates in the field of ion therapy, is supervised by the Beteiligungsholding foundation of the state of Lower Austria and received government financial support of 80 million euros in 2022. This raised questions about whether taxpayer money was indirectly used to finance a project with an Iranian party.
According to media reports, the relationship between MedAustron and the Iranian company began in 2017, after the visit of the then head of the Iranian Atomic Energy Organization, Ali Akbar Salehi, to Wiener Neustadt. After that, an agreement was signed to build an ion therapy center in Iran similar to the Austrian facility. MedAustron clarified in statements to the "Standard" newspaper that it has no direct relationship with Salehi, and that its partnership is limited to Novin Engineering, which it subjects to regular checks to ensure it is not subject to sanctions. It confirmed that "the client is not subject to sanctions."
However, a report from the U.S. Department of the Treasury indicates that many companies named "Novin" are linked to the Iranian AEOI organization. The Iranian Mehr News Agency reported in 2018 that Novin Engineering is affiliated with the organization, despite the ambiguity of its ownership structure.
Doubts are also increasing after a report by exiled journalist Masoud Kazemi about a mysterious fire in 2020 at a facility belonging to the Iranian company, said to be linked to the AEOI. This information is based on leaked documents and has not been independently verified. MedAustron announced that the project is currently "temporarily halted", and no timeline can be set for its completion due to the political situation. The office of Governor Mikl-Leitner confirmed that "all measures have been taken to reduce risks", and that "taxpayer money has not been used for the Iranian project". On behalf of the Neos party, Hofer-Gruber called for a comprehensive investigation, emphasizing the need to avoid any political or legal damage that could affect the state of Lower Austria.