The Organization of Defensive Innovation and Research or S.P.N.D. (Persian: سازمان پژوهشهای نوین دفاعی, romanized: Sazman-e Pazhouheshhaye Novin-e Defa’i and abbreviated سازمان سپند) is a research and development agency of Iran's Ministry of Defence responsible for the development of emerging technologies for use by the military. According to Iranian media, it is the Iranian counterpart of the American DARPA.
History According to the US, it was established in 2011. The organization was established and led by Mohsen Fakhrizadeh, until his assassination outside Tehran on November 26, 2020. After Israel's Twelve-Day War with Iran in June 2025 and the assassination of senior Iranian military and scientific officials by Israel, Brigadier General Reza Mozaffari Nia was appointed as the new head of the organization. Nia was assassinated during the 2026 Israeli–United States strikes on Iran in the 2026 Iran War.
Sanction According to the Israeli officials, later backed up by American intelligence officials, it was tasked with the research and development of nuclear weapons, and took over some of the activities of the Iranian nuclear weapon development AMAD Project. It has been sanctioned by the United States Department of State and United States Department of the Treasury. According to Al Jazeera, amid the COVID-19 pandemic in Iran, it developed Iran's first COVID-19 testing kits and also FAKHRAVAC, a COVID-19 vaccine that reached clinical trials.
Heads of the Organization Mohsen Fakhrizadeh (2010 – 2020) Reza Mozaffari Nia (2020 – c. October 2025) Hossein Jabal Amelian (c. October 2025 – 28 February 2026)
See also
References
External links Organization of Defensive Innovation and Research Organisation of Defensive Innovation and Research (SPND) SPND Legal and Budget Analysis U.S. Sanctions Related to Iranian Nuclear-Related Research with Potential Military Applications Organization of Defensive Innovation and Research - IFMAT Iran Organisation of Defensive Innovation and Research IDF: Headquarters of Iran