Seyed Hossein Mousavian
Seyed Hossein Mousavian of Princeton is accused of serving the Iran regime’s interests and acting as unregistered foreign agents of Iran, the world’s most prolific state sponsor of terrorism. Furthermore, Mousavian played a role in covering up or facilitating the Islamic Republic’s crimes against humanity.
Key Points on Seyed Hossein Mousavian
Mousavian is the Middle East Security and Nuclear Policy Specialist for the Program on Science and Global Security at Princeton University. The professor uses the prestige afforded to him as an academic to boost the Iran regime’s image in the West and support its foreign policy objectives. Most recently, U.S. Strategic Command invited Mousavian to speak at a Deterrence Symposium, where he railed against perceived American injustices towards Iran and urged military leaders to “rewrite their policy in the Middle East.” His appearance at a senior U.S. command center invited sharp criticism from the House and Senate Armed Services Committees, which demanded a full accounting of why “a propagandist of the regime” was invited to headline the symposium.
While employed at Princeton, Mousavian has maintained close ties to the Islamic Republic. He attended the 2020 funeral of Major-General Qassem Soleimani, the commander of the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps-Quds Force (IRGC-QF), a U.S.-designated terrorist entity responsible for the deaths of at least 600 U.S. service members. He subsequently appeared in an Iran state propaganda film lionizing Soleimani in his final days. With a smile, Mousavian recounted how former U.S. envoy to Iran Brian Hook’s wife “can’t sleep,” and how “she cries and trembles,” telling her husband, “‘They’ll kill you,’” over the U.S. drone strike that eliminated Soleimani.
Background: Allegations about Mousavian’s Involvement in IRI’s Terrorist Activities
Mousavian is a former Iran regime official who served the Ministry of Foreign Affairs in various roles, including as Iran’s ambassador to Germany (1990-1997). During this period, the regime carried out assassinations of Iranian dissidents residing in Germany. Iran’s diplomatic service was accused of planning and coordinating the targeted killings with Hezbollah,6 an Iranian-backed terrorist organization, and four diplomatic staff were expelled from Germany after a court verdict pointing to “the participation of Iranian state agencies.” Mousavian, who blamed the murders on “the work of the Americans,” also faced calls for his deportation.
During his time at Princeton, Mousavian has continued to support the Iran regime’s hostile foreign interests. During a 2016 interview, Iran’s then-foreign minister Javad Zarif told state television that he “worked closely with [Mousavian] for many years,” adding that the professor “is some[one] who is completely tied to the regime” and is “currently working hard” for it.
