Sharif University of Technology has issued preliminary expulsion orders for seven students, according to the student group United Students, in a move that rights advocates say reflects a broader postwar tightening of political and social control inside Iran.
The disciplinary committee at Sharif, widely regarded as Iran's leading technical university, handed down expulsion orders and, in several cases, multi-year bans from higher education, the group said.
The students named in the report include Reza Dalman, a master's student in computer engineering; Fatemeh Khakpour, an undergraduate chemistry student; Hossein Shadman, a master's student in industrial engineering; Sepanta Saeedi, an undergraduate computer engineering student; Masiha Bagheri, an undergraduate computer engineering student; Fariborz Kohanzad, an electrical engineering student; and Parnian Khodabakhshi, an undergraduate materials science and engineering student.
The expulsions come amid a crackdown that has continued since nationwide unrest in January and intensified during the recent war with the United States.
Rights groups say Iranian authorities have used the security climate to tighten control at home, with arrests, student disciplinary cases and executions rising sharply.
Iran has also carried out executions at record levels in recent months, fueling concerns that the political calm following the US-Iran memorandum of understanding could give authorities greater room to suppress dissent away from the battlefield.
United Students said disciplinary cases against three of the students — Saeedi, Shadman and Bagheri — centered on activity on social media. The other four cases were linked to protests in March, the group said.
The group also said detained student Ariana Koochak had been expelled.
Earlier this week, the Islamic Association of Sharif University students said families of several students had received calls from an unidentified number and reported that a number of students had been banned from entering the campus.
Sharif University has long held a special place in Iran's political and intellectual life. Often described as Iran's MIT, it is the country's most prestigious technical institution, with many graduates going on to pursue advanced degrees and careers at leading universities and technology companies abroad.
The university has also been a hotbed of student protest in recent years.
During the war, the campus was bombed in what officials said was an attack on research centers alleged to have dual-use applications.
The strike was condemned by Tehran and by rights organizations, which warned against attacks on civilian educational institutions.
The new expulsions suggest that even as Iran enters a formal diplomatic process with Washington, pressure on students and universities is continuing at home.
