THE HAGUE: The Netherlands will ban Iranian students from studying nuclear technology, a source of tension between Iran and world powers, at its universities, the government said late on Friday.

“It is forbidden... to grant Iranian nationals access to special training or teaching that could contribute to nuclear proliferation activities in Iran and the development of systems for transmitting nuclear arms,” the foreign ministry said in a statement.

Some powers, including the United States suspect Iran of seeking to develop a nuclear bomb. Iran insists its nuclear programme is aimed at producing energy to serve a growing population. Friday’s measure adds to a Dutch decree adopting international sanctions against Iran that were put in place last year.

It bans Iranians notably from the nuclear reactor in Borssele in the south-eastern Netherlands, and from a test reactor at the Delft University of Technology. The ministry said the ban does not cover undergraduate studies up to bachelor’s degree level, which are considered not to be specialised, and that it will consider requests for exceptions to be made.