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Aformer North Korean diplomat said Pyongyang received about $25 million for providing Iran with tunnel technology that he understood was used extensively at underground nuclear facilities near Natanz and Isfahan.

Ryu Hyun-woo, a former acting ambassador at North Korea’s embassy in Kuwait, made the remarks in an interview published this month by the Korea Development Institute, a prominent South Korean think tank.

“North Korea provided Iran with tunnel design and technology in the early 2000s, receiving about $25 million,” Ryu said.

“I understand that North Korean tunnel technology was applied to a considerable extent at underground nuclear facilities in areas such as Natanz and Isfahan,” he added.

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The report said Mohammadreza Pakatchian, 41, was pursuing a PhD in aerospace engineering at the Ottawa university after beginning studies online in 2023.

The Canadian Security Intelligence Service said Pakatchian worked for MAPNA, an Iranian company sanctioned by Canada over weapons of mass destruction concerns, and planned to return to the company after completing his studies, according to Global News.

“[He] represents a danger to the security of Canada,” the report quoted Canadian security records as saying.

Concerns over research and technology transfer

The Canada Border Services Agency said knowledge gained through his studies “could be used to contribute to advancing Iran’s military and weapons systems,” Global News reported.

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Pakatchian worked as a designer of axial compressors, which can power jet engines and have civilian and military uses, the report said.

Canadian agencies also cited his association with Mahmoud Mani, an academic at Tehran’s Amirkabir University whose work focused on missile aerodynamics, rocket engines and ballistic missiles.

Pakatchian did not respond to requests for comment. His lawyer declined to comment, saying he did not have permission from his client, while CSIS, the border agency and Carleton University did not comment, Global News reported.

Pakatchian arrived in Canada in 2023, according to immigration records cited by Global News. In May, he asked the Federal Court to order the government to decide on his student visa and sought C$10,000 in compensation over delays.

The court dismissed his application on June 9, the report said.

Ryu Hyun-woo, a former acting ambassador at North Korea’s embassy in Kuwait, made the remarks in an interview published this month by the Korea Development Institute, a prominent South Korean think tank.

“North Korea provided Iran with tunnel design and technology in the early 2000s, receiving about $25 million,” Ryu said.

“I understand that North Korean tunnel technology was applied to a considerable extent at underground nuclear facilities in areas such as Natanz and Isfahan,” he added.

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Possible transfer to Hezbollah and Hamas

Ryu said reports of direct North Korean links to Hezbollah and Hamas were inaccurate.

“Many media outlets talk about North Korea-Hezbollah and North Korea-Hamas links, but that is not true,” he said.

He said North Korea was unlikely to have directly transferred tunnel expertise to either group, but added: “It cannot be ruled out that Iran transferred tunnel-related technology it received from North Korea to Hezbollah or Hamas.”

Earlier reporting

The comments follow a March report by The Washington Times, which said North Korean entities had supplied Iran with underground construction expertise and missile technology.

The newspaper cited Bruce Bechtol, a former US Marine and political science professor at Angelo State University, as saying North Koreans helped build underground facilities in Iran, including at Isfahan, in the early 2000s.

“Most of Iran’s underground facilities – including Isfahan – were built in the early 2000s by North Koreans,” Bechtol told the newspaper.

Bechtol said North Korea’s support also included missile systems, help with arms-factory construction, specialized components and technical personnel. Iran and North Korea have not publicly confirmed the reported transfers.

An underground complex built by the Islamic Revolutionary Guards Corps (IRGC) to protect former Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei included a blast-resistant room and escape tunnels beneath central Tehran, according to information received by Iran International.

Iran International obtained architectural plans for the facility from an informed source, and a security source confirmed the documents’ authenticity.

The plans show that the IRGC spent about a decade building the underground compound, known as Habib Ebrahimi, next to Khamenei’s official residence.

The complex, named after Khamenei's former driver Habib Ebrahimi, who died before construction began, was built between 2009 and the late 2010s, according to the information.

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Many Iranians fear that a diplomatic opening with the United States could come at the cost of renewed social restrictions at home, as reports of stricter hijab enforcement begin circulating following the recent war.

Over recent days, social media users have voiced concern that a period of relative tolerance toward personal freedoms may be coming to an end.

With the immediate external crisis easing and further negotiations with Washington expected, many fear authorities could once again shift their focus to domestic social controls.

There has been no official announcement confirming the return of the morality police. But reports circulating online suggest increased scrutiny of hijab compliance in several cities, particularly the religious centers of Qom and Mashhad, although many of the incidents remain difficult to independently verify.

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