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Did the UN ship restricted technology to Iran?

House lawmakers finally hear from patent agency whistleblowers after four years of stonewalling.
A man pushes a trolley full of Dell computers through a company factory in Sriperumbudur Taluk, in the Kancheepuram district of the southern Indian state of Tamil Nadu, in this June 2, 2011 file photograph. Dell Inc's shares fell 9 percent on August 17, 2011, a day after weak technology spending forced the world's second-largest PC maker to slash its full-year revenue forecast.        REUTERS/Babu/Files     (INDIA - Tags: BUSINESS) - RTR2Q1AT
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Congress this week will finally hear from UN patent agency whistleblowers about years-old computer shipments to Iran that have raised questions about the world body’s compliance with international sanctions.

The Feb. 24 hearing with three former officials of the World Intellectual Property Organization (WIPO) caps a four-year battle against stonewalling bureaucrats at the Geneva-based agency. At the same time, the House Foreign Affairs Committee hearing opens another front in the congressional campaign to ensure that international pressure on Iran doesn’t let up in the wake of last year’s nuclear deal.

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