Alliance Against Islamic Regime of Iran Apologists (AAIRIA)
info@aairia.org
www.aairia.org
August 30, 2025
Office of the President
Yale University
Woodbridge Hall
New Haven, CT 06520
Subject: Formal Complaint Regarding Yale’s Hosting of Robert Malley and Platforming of Islamic Republic Officials
Dear President McInnis and Yale University Leadership:
I write on behalf of the Alliance Against Islamic Regime of Iran Apologists (AAIRIA)—a coalition of Iranian-Americans who have been directly impacted by the Islamic Republic’s crimes, including families of political prisoners, survivors of state violence, and individuals who have spoken out publicly against the regime. Some of our members have been targeted by or were in direct opposition to individuals now being platformed by Robert Malley.
We are deeply concerned by Yale University’s decision to allow Mr. Malley to teach the course titled “Adversaries by Design: Deconstructing the Iran–U.S. Relationship” (GLBL 3822). Mr. Malley, a former U.S. Special Envoy to Iran, is currently under FBI investigation and has had his security clearance suspended due to the alleged mishandling of classified materials and his participation in a covert Iranian influence operation known as the Iran Experts Initiative (IEI). As exposed by Semafor and Iran International, the IEI was launched in 2014 by Iran’s Foreign Ministry to cultivate and promote a network of sympathetic, pro-regime voices in Western think tanks, media outlets, and academic institutions.
Additionally, Mr. Malley has faced widespread criticism for his attempts to mainstream terrorist groups such as Hamas and Hezbollah, downplaying their role in regional violence and referring to their behavior as “rational” rather than condemning their actions.
As the cornerstone of academia, critical inquiry is a pursuit we value and respect. Yet we are profoundly troubled that Yale has not only approved but also platformed a course that appears to normalize, sanitize, and amplify voices directly affiliated with the Islamic Republic of Iran (IRI). Since its founding in 1979, the IRI has engaged in state terror, mass executions, and gender apartheid. In addition, it is virulently antisemitic and has been a driving force behind holocaust denial. It systematically persecutes ethnic, religious and sexual minorities, justifying these abuses under the banner of sharia. The regime also carries out covert operations abroad, using its vast state apparatus to target, intimidate, and kill dissidents. Its human rights record is egregious, and international jurists and human rights organization have repeatedly accused the IRI of crimes against humanity.
Mr. Malley’s course syllabus features or promotes individuals with long-standing and well-documented ties to the regime:
- Seyed Hossein Mousavian, a former Iranian diplomat, served as the regime’s spokesman during one of its most violent periods of global terrorism. While ambassador to Germany in the 1990s, regime agents under his watch assassinated 24 Iranian dissidents and opposition figures on European soil—including the notorious Mykonos restaurant killings in Berlin. Mousavian has consistently sought to minimize or deflect responsibility for these crimes. He has also publicly supported U.S.-designated terrorist organizations Hamas and Hezbollah, endorsed the fatwa calling for the murder of author Salman Rushdie, and made antisemitic remarks in his public appearances and writings.
Following AAIRIA’s efforts to expose his record—including his role in promoting terrorism, justifying repression, and parroting Islamic Republic propaganda—Mousavian was quietly forced into early retirement from Princeton University. Nonetheless, his continued platforming within U.S. academic circles remains a source of deep outrage for the families of victims and Iranian human rights defenders, who view his presence as a stain on institutions that claim to uphold justice and free inquiry.
- Mohammad Javad Zarif, the Islamic Republic’s longtime Foreign Minister, misled the international community about the downing of Flight PS752, helping cover up the IRGC’s role in the murder of 176 civilians. He has publicly denied the existence of political prisoners in Iran, even as Nobel laureates, students, union organizers, journalists, and teenage girls were being imprisoned, tortured, or disappeared for peaceful dissent. In a leaked 2021 interview, Zarif admitted he signed the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action (JCPOA)—the Iran nuclear deal—without reading its technical annexes. He also acknowledged that his close ally, Qassem Soleimani, used civilian aircraft for military operations, and privately feared those facts might someday come to light.
Zarif has also voiced explicit support for U.S.-designated terrorist groups Hamas and Hezbollah, framing them as legitimate resistance movements despite their well-documented attacks on civilians. In addition, as documented by MEMRI and other watchdog groups, Zarif has made antisemitic statements, including denying antisemitism within the Iranian leadership and promoting conspiracy theories about Israeli influence.
- Ali Vaez, a senior analyst at the International Crisis Group (ICG) and Malley’s protégé, is another prominent speaker in the course. Evidence shows that Vaez submitted articles to the Iranian regime for review before publication, including directly to Foreign Minister Zarif. One of his articles, vetted by regime officials, was published two weeks later in The National Interest. Vaez’s public commentary frequently echoes regime talking points, portraying the Islamic Republic as a misunderstood regional actor rather than a brutal theocracy. The Iranian Foreign Ministry has boasted that Vaez’s media footprint was part of a successful coordinated narrative campaign to promote pro-regime messaging throughout the JCPOA nuclear negotiations.
This course asks students to:
- Simulate the role of Islamic Republic policymakers
- Address memos to Iran’s Foreign Minister
- Immerse themselves in regime-aligned narratives
Yet none of these exercises incorporates alternative perspectives. Not a single dissident, survivor, or victim has been invited to participate as a speaker. This approach blurs the line between analysis and apology. It does so by advancing the IRI’s soft-power strategy: laundering its image through elite academic platforms while silencing the voices of its victims.
For decades, Iranian victims of state violence—especially women, minorities, and political prisoners—have been denied equal access to the very platforms now granted to those who enabled or justified their suffering.
We respectfully urge Yale University to:
- Immediately review and audit the content and guest speakers of this course.
- Establish safeguards to prevent the uncritical platforming of representatives or apologists of authoritarian regimes under the guise of “academic balance.”
- Offer parallel programming featuring Iranian dissidents, survivors of state violence, and families of victims, many of whom are scholars and public intellectuals in exile.
- Publicly clarify whether any vetting occurred regarding Robert Malley’s current security status and the backgrounds of his guest speakers.
- Address a growing concern: Is it true, as some have alleged, that the Qatari Foundation or other regime-linked donors are subsidizing Malley’s appointment or salary?
Academic freedom is not a license to normalize the narratives of a criminal regime and the repression for which it is responsible. It is a duty to pursue truth and amplify the voices of the silenced. We urge Yale to ensure that it does not become a haven for regime propaganda disguised as pedagogy.
We remain available for further dialogue, documentation, and recommendations.
Sincerely,
Lawdan Bazargan
Director, AAIRIA (Alliance Against Islamic Regime of Iran Apologists)
info@aairia.org
www.aairia.org
