تعلیق شیرین سعیدی و تحقیقات کمبریج نشان میدهد که جعل و تحریف روایت بازماندگان بیهزینه نخواهد بود بیانیهٔ خبری برای انتشار فوری اتحاد علیه مهرههای رژیم اسلامی ایران دسامبر ۲۰۲۵ اتحاد علیه مهرههای رژیم اسلامی ایران از تعلیق شیرین سعیدی در دانشگاه آرکانزاس استقبال میکند. اتحاد علیه مهرههای رژیم اسلامی ایران گزارش امروز نیویورکپست را که تأیید میکند دانشگاه آرکانزاس، دکتر شیرین سعیدی را از سمت مدیریتیاش در برنامهٔ مطالعات خاورمیانه برکنار کرده و تحقیقات داخلی دربارهٔ تخلفات او را آغاز نموده است، گامی مهم در مسیر پاسخگویی میداند. این تحول نقطهٔ عطفی در کارزار چندماههای است که توسط خانوادههای قربانیان کشتار زندانیان سیاسی در دهه ۶۰ ، بازماندگان زندانهای جمهوری اسلامی، فعالان دموکراسیخواه در دیاسپورا و تعدادی از قانونگذاران ایالت آرکانزاس هدایت شده است. برای نخستین بار، یک دانشگاه معتبر آمریکایی بهطور علنی جدیتِ شواهدی را میپذیرد که نشان میدهد یک عضو هیأت علمی از موقعیت دانشگاهی خود برای موارد زیر سوءاستفاده کرده است: دفاع از یک جنایتکار جنگی محکومشده ستایش رهبر جمهوری اسلامی ایران تکرار تبلیغات یهودستیزانهٔ جمهوری اسلامی و مهمتر از همه، جعل مصاحبه با زندانیان سیاسی و تحریف شهادتهایی که ستون فقرات حقیقت تاریخی دربارهٔ جنایات جمهوری اسلامی هستند تحقیقات مستقل دربارهٔ رسالهٔ سعیدی نشان داد که او الگوهای مستمری از جعل، سوءاستفاده از روایتهای بازماندگان و ادعاهای دروغین دربارهٔ مصاحبه با زندانیان سیاسی پیشین ارائه کرده است. از جمله مریم نوری، منیره برادران، نازلی پرتوی و نسرین پرواز که همگی ادعاهای سعیدی را رد کردهاند. همچنین AAIRIA مستنداتی ارائه داد که نشان میدهد سعیدی با سربرگ رسمی دانشگاه آرکانزاس برای آزادی #حمید_نوری، فردی که در سوئد بهدلیل نقشاش در کشتار زندانیان سیاسی سال ۱۳۶۷ به جرم جنایت جنگی محکوم شد، نامهنگاری کرده است. اتحاد علیه مهرههای رژیم اسلامی ایران به نقش خود در افشای این حقیقت افتخار میکند و تا رسیدن به اهداف زیر به تلاش ادامه خواهد داد تکمیل تحقیقات دانشگاه آرکانزاس دربارهٔ تخلفات سعیدی رسیدگی انتشارات دانشگاه کمبریج و دانشگاه کمبریج به موارد جعل و نقض اصول اخلاق پژوهش و جمعآوری یا اصلاح مطالب منتشرشدهٔ سعیدی و ایجاد سازوکارهایی که از نفوذ و تطهیر رژیمهای اقتدارگرا در دانشگاههای آمریکا جلوگیری کند این رویداد تنها پیروزی برای مخالفان رژیم ایران نیست، بلکه پیروزی برای صداقت دانشگاهی، حقوق بشر و پاسداری از حقیقت تاریخی است. اتحاد علیه مهرههای رژیم اسلامی ایران یک نهاد متشکل از بازماندگان است که هدف آن افشای افرادی و نهادهایی در غرب است که به تطهیر، عادیسازی یا همکاری با جمهوری اسلامی و دستگاه امنیتی آن میپردازند. AAIRIA مأموریت حفاظت از حقیقت دربارهٔ نقضهای حقوق بشری در ایران و حمایت از صدای بازماندگان و خانوادههای قربانیان است info@aairia.org http://aairia.org #FireSaeidi
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PRESS RELEASE: AAIRIA Welcomes University of Arkansas Removal of Dr. Shirin Saeidi
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASEAlliance Against the Islamic Regime of Iran Apologists (AAIRIA)December 13, 2025 The Alliance Against Islamic Regime of Iran Apologists (AAIRIA) welcomes today’s reporting by the New York Post confirming that the University of Arkansas has removed Dr. Shirin Saeidi from her leadership position at the Middle East Studies Program and launched an internal investigation into Saeidi’s conduct. This development marks a significant milestone in a months-long campaign led by families of victims of the 1988 Iranian Prison Massacre, survivors of the Islamic Republic of Iran prison system, Iranian dissidents in the diaspora, and concerned Arkansas legislators. For the first time, a prominent American university is publicly acknowledging the seriousness of evidence showing that a faculty member used their institutional position to: • defend a convicted war criminal • praise the Supreme Leader of the Islamic Republic of Iran, • parrot antisemitic propaganda disseminated by the Islamic Republic of Iran, • and most gravely, fabricate interviews with Iranian political prisoners whose actual testimonies are the backbone of historical truth regarding the Iranian regime’s atrocities. AAIRIA’s independent investigation of Saeidi’s dissertation uncovered patterns of fabrication, misuse of survivor testimony, and unauthorized claims of interviews with former political prisoners, including Maryam Nouri, Monireh Baradaran, Nazli Partovi, and Nasrin Parvaz, all of whom disavowed Saeidi’s claims. Further, AAIRIA provided documentation showing Saeidi used University of Arkansas letterhead to advocate for the release of Hamid Nouri, convicted in Sweden of war crimes for his role in the 1988 prison massacres. AAIRIA is proud to have helped bring the truth to light and will continue advocating until: • The University of Arkansas completes its investigation of Saeidi • Cambridge University Press and the University of Cambridge retract Saeidi’s published fabrications and address Saeidi’s ethics violations • and institutional safeguards are strengthened to prevent authoritarian regimes from laundering propaganda through the University of Arkansas. This is not merely a victory for Iranian dissidents; it is a victory for academic integrity, human rights, and the protection of historical truth. Media Contact: Lawdan Bazargan at lawdanbazargan@gmail.com About AAIRIA The Alliance Against Islamic Regime of Iran Apologists (AAIRIA) is a survivor-led organization dedicated to exposing individuals and institutions in the West who normalize, sanitize, or collaborate with the Islamic Republic of Iran and its security apparatus. AAIRIA works to safeguard the truth about Iran’s human rights abuses and to support the voices of survivors and their families. info@aairia.orghttp://www.aairia.org
After Controversy, Iranian Specialist Mousavian Retires From SPIA Post
By Lia Opperman ’25 Published Sept. 4, 2025 Seyed Hossein Mousavian, a Middle East security and nuclear policy specialist in Princeton’s Program on Science and Global Security, retired on June 1 after 15 years at the University. His departure comes following pressure from a nonprofit that opposes the Iranian regime and a November 2023 investigation by the House Committee on Education and the Workforce, which alleged that Mousavian used his academic role to advance Iranian interests. Mousavian, who joined Princeton in 2009, wrote on X that the decision to retire was his own. “I am deeply grateful to the university officials for their support and especially for their commitment to ‘freedom of expression,’” he wrote in the Aug. 10 post. Princeton announced his departure in a list of employee retirements on June 4. Before coming to Princeton, Mousavian was a prominent figure in Iranian politics. From 1990 to 1997, he served as the Iranian ambassador to Germany. From 1997 to 2005, he headed the Foreign Relations Committee of the Supreme National Security Council of Iran. From 2005 to 2007, he served as the foreign policy adviser to Ali Larijani, the secretary of the Supreme National Security Council. In 2007, Mousavian was arrested after then-President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad accused him of leaking information to European members of the 2003-05 nuclear negotiation team, of which he was a part. Mousavian has denied any wrongdoing. The Alliance Against Islamic Regime of Iran Apologists (AAIRIA), which describes itself as a coalition of former political prisoners in Iran, families of victims, human rights activists, and international jurists, said it had spent two years organizing campus events, press conferences, and congressional outreach to highlight concerns about Mousavian’s role at Princeton. The group hosted a protest on Princeton’s campus in April 2024. Other critics echoed AAIRIA’s calls. In March 2024, the National Association of Scholars, a conservative nonprofit dedicated to reforming higher education, urged Princeton to dismiss Mousavian from his position. In April 2025, Sen. Ted Cruz ’92 told Fox News Digital that Mousavian’s presence at Princeton made students afraid for their safety and reflected a “reckless institutional ideological bias.” In its 2023 investigation, the House Committee on Education and the Workforce sent a letter to President Christopher Eisgruber ’83, spearheaded by Rep. Lisa McClain (R-Mich.) and Rep. Jim Banks (R-Ind.), and signed by 10 other Republican members, asking about Mousavian’s hiring and communications between him and Iranian officials. Following the opening of the investigation, Mousavian wrote emails to PAW in which he denied that he had been acting on behalf of Iran while at Princeton: “Over the past two decades, as an academic, I’ve used every opportunity to propose [a] peaceful solution to the Iranian nuclear crisis, and dialogue and engagement between Iran and the United States and with other countries such as Saudi Arabia. All my books, articles, speeches, and interviews during 13 years working at Princeton University are about peace, security, stability, and opposing wars and warmongering.” The University did not respond to a request for comment. Mousavian declined a request for comment about his retirement. Please Click Here for the article.
شکایت رسمی در رابطه با حضور رابرت مالی در دانشگاه ییل و فراهمسازی تریبون برای مقامات جمهوری اسلامی
رئیس محترم دانشگاه ییل، خانم پرزیدنت مکاینیس، و اعضای رهبری دانشگاه ییل: با سلام، اینجانب از طرف اتحاد علیه مهره های رژیم اسلامی ایران (AAIRIA) — ائتلافی متشکل از ایرانی-آمریکاییهایی که مستقیماً تحت تأثیر جنایات جمهوری اسلامی قرار گرفتهاند، از جمله خانوادههای زندانیان سیاسی، بازماندگان سرکوب دولتی، و فعالان علنی علیه این رژیم، این نامه را ارسال میکنم. برخی از اعضای ما مستقیماً مورد تهدید یا هدف کسانی قرار گرفتهاند که اکنون توسط رابرت مالی در دانشگاه شما تریبون یافتهاند. ما به شدت نگران تصمیم دانشگاه ییل برای واگذاری تدریس درس «طراحیشده برای دشمنی: بازخوانی روابط ایران و آمریکا» (GLBL 3822) به آقای رابرت مالی هستیم. آقای مالی، نماینده ویژه پیشین دولت آمریکا در امور ایران، هماکنون تحت تحقیقات افبیآی قرار دارد و مجوز امنیتیاش به حالت تعلیق درآمده است. این اقدامات به دلیل اتهاماتی درباره افشای اطلاعات طبقهبندیشده و مشارکت او در پروژه نفوذی به نام ابتکار کارشناسان ایران (Iran Experts Initiative) صورت گرفته است، طرحی که در سال ۲۰۱۴ توسط وزارت امور خارجه جمهوری اسلامی برای جذب و تقویت صدای حامی رژیم در رسانهها، اندیشکدهها و دانشگاههای غربی راهاندازی شد. افزون بر این، آقای مالی به دلیل تلاش برای عادیسازی گروههای تروریستی چون حماس و حزبالله، و توصیف اقدامات آنها بهعنوان «عقلانی» به جای محکوم کردن آنها، با موج گستردهای از انتقاد مواجه شده است. ما به ارزش تحقیق دانشگاهی و گفتوگوی نقادانه باور داریم. اما تأیید و تریبون دادن به کلاسی که به وضوح به تطهیر و نرمالسازی عناصر رژیم جمهوری اسلامی میپردازد، امری خطرناک و غیراخلاقی است. جمهوری اسلامی از بدو تأسیس خود در سال ۱۳۵۷ تا کنون، درگیر ترور دولتی، اعدامهای جمعی، آپارتاید جنسیتی، نفی هولوکاست، و سرکوب سیستماتیک اقلیتهای قومی، مذهبی و جنسی بوده و در عین حال با استفاده از ابزارهای حکومتیاش مخالفان را در داخل و خارج هدف قرار داده است. سوابق حقوق بشری این رژیم فاجعهبار است، و بارها توسط حقوقدانان بینالمللی و نهادهای حقوق بشری به ارتکاب جنایت علیه بشریت متهم شده است. در فهرست مطالب و سخنرانان این دوره، افرادی حضور دارند که روابط دیرینه و مستندی با رژیم جمهوری اسلامی دارند: ● سید حسین موسویان، دیپلمات سابق جمهوری اسلامی، سخنگوی رژیم در یکی از خشنترین دورانهای تروریسم دولتی بود. در دوران سفارتش در آلمان در دهه ۹۰ میلادی، عوامل رژیم ۲۴ مخالف سیاسی ایرانی را در اروپا ترور کردند، از جمله قتل در رستوران میکونوس در برلین. موسویان بارها سعی کرده مسئولیت این جنایات را کمرنگ یا انکار کند. او همچنین از گروههای تروریستی حماس و حزبالله دفاع کرده، فتوای قتل سلمان رشدی را تأیید نموده و اظهاراتی با محتوای یهودیستیزانه در محافل عمومی مطرح کرده است. با تلاشهای AAIRIA برای افشای سوابق او، موسویان نهایتاً به شکلی بیسر و صدا از دانشگاه پرینستون بازنشسته شد. با این حال، حضور مستمر او در محیطهای آکادمیک آمریکا، موجب خشم عمیق خانوادههای قربانیان و مدافعان حقوق بشر ایرانی شده است. ● محمدجواد ظریف، وزیر امور خارجه پیشین جمهوری اسلامی، در پنهان کردن نقش سپاه پاسداران در سرنگونی هواپیمای اوکراینی پرواز PS752 و قتل ۱۷۶ غیرنظامی مشارکت داشت. او وجود زندانی سیاسی در ایران را علناً انکار کرده، در حالی که صدها روزنامهنگار، دانشجو، فعال صنفی و دختر نوجوان برای اعتراض مسالمتآمیز زندانی، شکنجه یا ناپدید شدهاند. در یک فایل صوتی فاششده در سال ۲۰۲۱، ظریف اعتراف کرد که برجام را بدون مطالعه ضمائم فنی آن امضا کرده و همچنین اذعان کرد که قاسم سلیمانی، متحد نزدیکش، از هواپیماهای غیرنظامی برای عملیات نظامی استفاده میکرد، موضوعی که به گفته خودش از افشای آن در آینده نگران بود. ظریف همچنین از گروههای تروریستی چون حماس و حزبالله حمایت علنی کرده و بر اساس گزارشهای متعدد، اظهاراتی یهودیستیزانه و مبتنی بر تئوری توطئه درباره اسرائیل مطرح کرده است. ● علی واعظ، تحلیلگر ارشد در «گروه بحران بینالمللی» و شاگرد نزدیک رابرت مالی، یکی دیگر از سخنرانان برجسته این دوره است. شواهد نشان میدهد که واعظ مقالات خود را پیش از انتشار برای بازبینی به وزارت خارجه جمهوری اسلامی و شخص ظریف ارسال کرده است. یکی از این مقالات پس از تأیید مقامات رژیم، تنها دو هفته بعد در نشریه The National Interest منتشر شد. دیدگاههای عمومی واعظ اغلب بازتابدهنده روایت رسمی جمهوری اسلامی بوده و تلاش کرده تا این رژیم را نه بهعنوان یک تئوکراسی سرکوبگر، بلکه بهعنوان رژیمی که به درستی درک نشده در منطقه تصویر کند. وزارت خارجه ایران خود اعتراف کرده که حضور رسانهای واعظ بخشی از کمپین هماهنگ شده تبلیغاتی برای ترویج روایتهای مطلوب رژیم در طول مذاکرات برجام بوده است. بر اساس سیلابس این دوره، از دانشجویان خواسته شده است که: ● نقش تصمیمگیران جمهوری اسلامی را بازی کنند ● یادداشتهایی به وزیر خارجه ایران بنویسند ● درگیر روایت های همسو با رژیم شوند با این حال، هیچ دیدگاه متقابلی در این دوره لحاظ نشده است. هیچ مخالف، قربانی یا بازماندهای بهعنوان سخنران دعوت نشده است. این روش، مرز بین تحلیل آکادمیک و تطهیر سیاسی را از بین میبرد و به پروژه قدرت نرم جمهوری اسلامی خدمت میکند: شستن چهره رژیم از طریق نهادهای دانشگاهی، در حالی که صدای قربانیانش خاموش میماند. دهههاست که قربانیان خشونت دولتی در ایران، بهویژه زنان، اقلیتها و زندانیان سیاسی، از همان تریبونهایی که اکنون در اختیار مدافعان رژیم قرار گرفته، محروم بودهاند. ما محترمانه از دانشگاه ییل درخواست میکنیم که: ۱. فوراً محتوای این دوره و فهرست سخنرانان آن را مورد بررسی و بازبینی قرار دهد. ۲. تدابیری برای جلوگیری از تریبون دادن غیرانتقادی به نمایندگان و عذرخواهان رژیمهای استبدادی تحت عنوان “توازن علمی” اتخاذ کند. ۳. برنامههای موازیای با حضور مخالفان، بازماندگان خشونت دولتی و خانوادههای قربانیان برگزار کند؛ بسیاری از آنان خود از روشنفکران تبعیدی هستند. ۴. بهطور عمومی روشن کند که آیا هیچ نوع راستیآزمایی درباره وضعیت امنیتی رابرت مالی و پیشینه سخنرانان مهمان انجام شده یا خیر. ۵. و به نگرانی فزایندهای پاسخ دهد: آیا درست است که بنیاد قطری یا دیگر نهادهای نزدیک به جمهوری اسلامی در تأمین مالی یا حقوق آقای مالی نقش دارند؟ آزادی دانشگاهی به معنای تطهیر روایتهای یک رژیم جنایتکار نیست. وظیفه دانشگاه، تعقیب حقیقت و بلند کردن صدای خاموششدگان است. ما از دانشگاه ییل میخواهیم مراقب باشد که به سکوی تبلیغاتی رژیم جمهوری اسلامی تبدیل نشود. ما آمادهایم تا مدارک تکمیلیContinue reading “شکایت رسمی در رابطه با حضور رابرت مالی در دانشگاه ییل و فراهمسازی تریبون برای مقامات جمهوری اسلامی”
Formal Complaint Regarding Yale’s Hosting of Robert Malley and Platforming of Islamic Republic Officials
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: 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. 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. This course asks students to: 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: 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
Then-Deputy Of Iran’s National Security Council Seyed Hossein Mousavian In 2004 Interview: ‘After Iraq’s Attacks, We Announced Our Defensive Chemical And Nuclear Programs’
August 13, 2025 | By Yigal Carmon Iran, Iraq | MEMRI Daily Brief No. 834 In an October 17, 2004 interview conducted in Tehran with the Swiss paper SonntagsBlick, then Deputy of Iran’s National Security Council Seyed Hossein Mousavian told German journalist and Iran expert Bruno Schirra that “after Iraq’s attacks, we announced our defensive chemical and nuclear programs.” He stressed that Iran’s regime will never abandon its right to enrichment of uranium and will defy UN sanctions. “Even if we are dragged before the UN Security Council, that will not change our stance,” stressed Mousavian. When asked about former Iranian President Akbar Hashemi Rafsanjani’s call for the construction of “biological and radiological weapons” that, Rafsanjani said, can be used “for defensive, but also offensive use,” Mousavian responded that Rafsanjani “only spoke about the defensive.” Seyed Hossein Mousavian Separately, Fereydoon Abbasi, former head of the Atomic Energy Organization of Iran, said in a May 26, 2025 interview on SNN.ir, that “In one of my interviews, I said that we had reached the capability to build a [nuclear] weapon 15-20 years ago, but we had not built it for several reasons.”[1] Mousavian was a key architect of the Iranian regime’s nuclear program. He served as a spokesman for the atomic negotiations with the European powers that happened from 2003 to 2005. According to an archived 1997 article from the Berlin newspaper Der Tagesspiegel, Abolghasem Mesbahi, a former Iranian intelligence official, told a Berlin court during the Mykonos trial: “Mousavian participated in most of the [Iranian regime’s] crimes that took place in Europe.”[2] Iranian dissidents have accused Mousavian of playing a crucial role in the assassinations of at least 24 dissidents in Europe, including Iranian Kurds murdered in a joint Iran-Hizbullah operation in the West Berlin restaurant Mykonos in 1992. Mousavian was the Islamic Republic’s ambassador to Germany from 1990 to 1997. He served from 1987-1990 as Iran’s General Director of the Foreign Ministry for West Europe and has expressed support for Hamas, Hizbullah, and the Islamic regime’s fatwa to assassinate the British-American author Salman Rushdie.[3] Mousavian was a researcher at Princeton University until June 2025.[4] According to the Alliance Against Islamic Regime of Iran Apologists (AAIRIA), Princeton University forced Mousavian into retirement. [5] Following is a translation of the SonntagsBlick interview: “After Iraq’s Attacks, We Announced Our Defensive Chemical And Nuclear Programs” Bruno Schirra: “Iran is working on mastering the entire nuclear fuel cycle. To build a bomb, all you would need is a political decision.” Mousavian: “True. But that applies to all Nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty (NPT) partners. Japan, too, could withdraw from the NPT at any time and build the bomb. Trying to deprive Iran of these contractual rights demonstrates an unacceptable double standard. Especially since we have unconditionally accepted the additional protocol to the NPT.” Schirra: “In doing so you are admitting to the possession of chemical weapons. Regarding the nuclear weapons program, Ayatollah Beheshti already stated in 1981 that its goal was the atomic bomb. And your former President Rafsanjani also called for the construction of ‘biological and radiological weapons.’ Explicitly, ‘for defensive, but also offensive use.’” Mousavian: “We have never heard such a statement from Ayatollah Beheshti…” Schirra: “I would be happy to give you the source. And the date of the Friday prayer, at which Ayatollah Beheshti also said it publicly…” Mousavian: “… and Hashemi [Akbar Hashemi Rafsanjani] only spoke about the defensive. After Iraq’s attacks, we announced our defensive chemical and nuclear programs. We will continue to do so in the future.” Schirra: “Chemical and nuclear programs?” Mousavian: “Yes, yes. But only defensive, never offensive.” “We Must Be Able To Defend The People Against Nuclear Attacks” Schirra: “So Iran is pursuing a chemical and a nuclear program?” Mousavian: “That’s our public policy.” Schirra: “Excuse me, but we are talking about weapons!” Mousavian: “We never said we needed to possess chemical and nuclear weapons. Only programs for defense. We must be able to defend the people against nuclear attacks.” Schirra: “In Iranian facilities, 37 tons of so-called yellowcake are being converted into uranium hexafluoride. Too little for civilian purposes, but enough for five nuclear bombs.” Mousavian: “The 37 tons are for a pilot project in Isfahan, which was under International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) supervision from the beginning. We are still in the pilot phase, that is, before production. Incidentally, the conversion of yellowcake is also permitted under the regulations of the NPT.” Schirra: “In Isfahan and Natanz, you are working on enrichment. The facility in Arak is intended to produce heavy water. All indications that Iran also has a military nuclear program. Are you working on the bomb?” “We Will Respond In A Way That Will Make Jerusalem Regret It Forever – What Does That Mean? You Will See Then” Mousavian: “Iran has the right to use the technology for peaceful purposes. The danger of a civilian nuclear infrastructure being used for military purposes through a political decision applies, as already mentioned, to every member of the NPT!” Schirra: “The IAEA is demanding an end to uranium enrichment in Iran. Will you accept it?” Mousavian: “We do not accept this ultimatum. It was a political decision by the IAEA. Even if we are dragged before the UN Security Council, that will not change our stance. Dissuading us from this can only be achieved through political discussions, not through ultimatums.” Schirra: “Why don’t you then ensure international détente and simply comply with the IAEA’s ultimatum? You know that Israel is watching your plans with great nervousness.” Mousavian: “We will not bow to any ultimatum or resolution. And we are certain that Israel would not dare to bomb Iran’s nuclear facilities. It does not even have a one percent chance of doing so.” Schirra: “And if Israel attacks anyway?” Mousavian: “Then we will respond in a way that will make Jerusalem regret it forever. What does that mean? You will see then.” Page one of two of the original German of Mousavian’s 2004 interview in SonntagsBlick. Page two of two of the original German of Mousavian’s 2004 interview in SonntagsBlick. *Yigal Carmon is Founder and President of MEMRI. [1] See MEMRI TV Clip No. 12039, Former Iranian Nuclear Chief FereydoonContinue reading “Then-Deputy Of Iran’s National Security Council Seyed Hossein Mousavian In 2004 Interview: ‘After Iraq’s Attacks, We Announced Our Defensive Chemical And Nuclear Programs’”
Controversial Princeton prof with strong Iran ties steps down after campaign from dissidents, senator to remove him
By Isabel Vincent and Benjamin Weinthal Published Aug. 12, 2025, 7:12 p.m. ET A controversial Princeton professor with strong ties to the Iranian regime has quietly stepped down from the Ivy League school, following a campaign from dissidents to remove him. Seyed Hossein Mousavian, a Middle East security and nuclear policy specialist, retired from his position after 15 years as the head of the school’s Program on Science and Global Security on June 1, according to an announcement listing retiring employees on Princeton’s website. The professor is controversial for being heavily involved in Iran’s chemical and nuclear programs beginning in 2004, long before the country was known to have been building up its nuclear arsenal, according to German journalist Bruno Schirra. The move comes amid the news Princeton could lose more than $200 million in grants from the Trump administration for not tackling antisemitism on campus, The Post has learned. Iranian opposition activists as well as Texas Republican Senator Ted Cruz, a Princeton alumnus, had long urged the school to fire Mousavian. “It’s a victory, but one has to wonder if he’s staying behind the scenes somehow,” said Lawdan Bazargan, a former political prisoner in Iran, a human rights activist and member of the US-based Alliance Against Islamic Regime of Iran Apologists. The group has waged a two-year campaign to get the university to ditch Mousavian. “We exposed the truth,” the group said in a press release last week. “Mousavian is not a neutral scholar but a former ambassador of the [Islamic Republic of Iran] who defended the fatwas to kill author Salman Rushdie.” Former Iranian Kurdish leader Sadiq Sharafkindi (left) and Nuri Dehkordi were two of the four opposition politicians killed in the Berlin restaurant Mykonos in 1992, while Mousavian was Iranian ambassador to Germany.Associated Press Shirin Ebadi, a former Iranian judge who won the Nobel Peace Prize in 2003, has also previously accused Mousavian of supporting the fatwa. Before being hired by Princeton in 2009, Mousavian had also worked as a diplomat and editor of the Tehran Times, the English-language newspaper which is a mouthpiece for the regime. Mousavian was also Iran’s ambassador to Germany in 1992 when four dissidents were murdered in the back of a restaurant in Berlin. The group of dissidents which campaigned to get him fired from Princeton has previously alleged when Mousavian was ambassador to Germany, 23 Iranians were killed in Europe for being enemies of the mullahs. In 1997, a German court concluded that the Iranian leadership, including the foreign ministry, masterminded the murders and that the headquarters for plotting them was the Iranian embassy, but did not name Mousavian. During the trial, German newspaper Tagesspiegel reported a former Iranian spy, Abolghasem Mesbahi, said under oath, “Mousavian was involved in most of the crimes that took place in Europe. Former Iranian president Mahmoud Ahmadinejad tours a nuclear facility in 2008. The country’s nuclear program is much older than many Western intelligence sources had predicted.AP “Specifically, in Germany, it concerns the crimes that were committed against Iranian opposition members.” Following the trial Mousavian was called back to Tehran. Mousavian, whose Princeton email address is still active and who is still prominently featured on the school’s website, did not return a request for comment Tuesday. He wrote of his retirement on Twitter: “After 15 years of service at Princeton University, I retired at my own request at the end of May 2025. “I am deeply grateful to the university officials for their support and especially for their commitment to freedom of expression.” The retirement coincides with the imminent publication of a 2004 interview with Mousavian by Schirra. The interview, which is now being published by the Middle East Media Research Institute, a US-based nonprofit that studies extremism, suggests Iran’s nuclear program was secretly active for decades before Western intelligence sources warned of its existence. “After Iraq’s attack [in 1980], we announced our defensive chemical and nuclear programs,” said Mousavian in the interview, who was then deputy of Iran’s National Security Council. In April, Cruz urged the school to fire Mousavian, saying: “His presence at Princeton makes students feel justifiably afraid for their safety.” Please Click Here for the article.
Princeton parts ways with controversial ex-Iranian official after 15 years
Aug 9, 2025, 20:44 GMT+1. Updated Aug 11, 2025, 17:28 GMT+1 Hossein Mousavian Former Iranian nuclear negotiator and senior diplomat turned Princeton academic Hossein Mousavian has left the university in what is described by Princeton as retirement, while activists call it a dismissal following sustained campaign pressures. Mousavian’s 15-year tenure at Princeton University ended on June 1, according to an “employee retirements” statement by the university dated June 4. However, the nonprofit organization Alliance Against Islamic Regime of Iran Apologists (AAIRIA) says his departure was a result of its two-year campaign aimed at exposing his alleged ties to the Islamic Republic and widespread calls for his dismissal. In a press release on Saturday, AAIRIA said it organized multiple events, press conferences, and engaged with US legislative bodies to highlight concerns about Mousavian’s background, accusing him of supporting terrorism and anti-Israel propaganda. The group also called for his deportation and prosecution based on alleged involvement in historical assassinations linked to the Islamic Republic. AAIRIA describes itself as “a group of former political prisoners in Iran, families of executed political prisoners, human rights activists who seek justice and accountability, and international jurists who have examined the record of the Islamic Republic of Iran’s gross human rights abuses.” Princeton University did not respond to Iran International’s request for comment. I try not to be in the room with people linked to Iranian terrorists who have murdered dozens of dissidents. Your books are unreadable, and the only debate you should be having is with DHS agents, at the end of which you should be deported. https://t.co/EdYh8U7qPb — Ted Cruz (@tedcruz) April 29, 2025 On August 10, Mousavian said in a post on his X account he retired at his own request. “After 15 years of service at Princeton University, I retired at my own request at the end of May 2025. I am deeply grateful to the university officials for their support and especially for their commitment to ‘freedom of expression.” After 15 years of service at Princeton University, I retired at my own request at the end of May 2025. I am deeply grateful to the university officials for their support and especially for their commitment to 'freedom of expression.https://t.co/qY0YLQJ14Y pic.twitter.com/xV0lI3pvHL — Mousavian (@hmousavian) August 10, 2025 Mousavian served as a Middle East security and nuclear policy specialist in Princeton’s Program on Science and Global Security. Mousavian was ambassador to Germany when Bonn-based Iranian exile Fereydoun Farrokhzad, a singer and outspoken critic of the Islamic Republic, was murdered in 1992 apparently by agents of the Islamic Republic. A veteran Iranian commander in March detailed the state’s role in his killing, in remarks Mousavian said left him “stunned, amazed, and shocked.” In 2023, several top Republicans, including House Oversight Committee Chairman James Comer of Kentucky and now-DOGE Caucus chairman Aaron Bean of Florida, wrote to Princeton with their concerns about Mousavian’s tenure. Several Republican lawmakers wrote an open letter to Princeton in 2023 expressing their concerns over Mousavian’s employment. “A German court found (the Iranian embassy in Germany) served as the headquarters for the planning of the 1992 assassination of four Iranian dissidents,” the letter said, referring to the 1994 assassination of four Iranian-Kurdish dissidents in a Berlin restaurant. “Did Princeton consult with US government officials regarding the hiring of Mousavian?” Please Click Here for the article.
حسین موسویان پس از ۱۵سال از دانشگاه پرینستون کنار گذاشته شد
ایران اینترنشنال – دانشگاه پرینستون آمریکا اعلام کرد حسین موسویان، دیپلمات پیشین جمهوری اسلامی، از این دانشگاه «بازنشسته» شده است. موسویان به دست داشتن در قتل شماری از چهرههای سرشناس مخالف جمهوری اسلامی در اروپا متهم است. دانشگاه پرینستون در بیانیهای رسمی، دلیل جدایی موسویان را «بازنشستگی» توصیف کرد. موسویان بهعنوان «کارشناس امنیت خاورمیانه و سیاست هستهای» در برنامه علم و امنیت جهانی دانشگاه پرینستون فعالیت میکرد. او متهم است که در ترور دستکم ۲۴ مخالف جمهوری اسلامی در اروپا در دهههای ۱۹۸۰ و ۱۹۹۰ میلادی مانند شاپور بختیار، فریدون فرخزاد، عبدالرحمن قاسملو و کاظم رجوی نقش داشته است. این هفته سالگرد قتل دکتر شاپور بختیار و فریدون فرخزاد هم هست که بدست مزدوران رژیم اسلامی که از سفارت رژیم در آلمان هدایت می شدند، سلاخی شدند. خوشحالم که خبر کنار گذاشته شدن سید حسین موسویان، سفیر آلمان در دوران این جنایت ها را در چنین زمانی دریافت کرده ایم. #FireMousavian https://t.co/bKvAQpO8Fv — Lawdan Bazargan (@LawdanBazargan) August 9, 2025 سازمان «اتحاد علیه مدافعان رژیم جمهوری اسلامی ایران» (AAIRIA) شنبه ۱۸ مرداد در بیانیهای، پایان فعالیت ۱۵ ساله موسویان در دانشگاه پرینستون را نتیجه کارزار مستمر و دو ساله این ائتلاف خواند. فعلا از دانشگاه پرینستون بیرون انداخته شد. او همانطور که روزنامه تاتس در مصاحبه با من نوشت، نماینده یک رژیم تروریستی است، مهمتر از آن خود متهم به سازماندهی قتل افرادی از اپوزیسیون حکومت اسلامی و از جمله فریدون فرخزاد است. اخراج سید حسین موسویان از پرینستون به همت جمعی از مخالفین… pic.twitter.com/AoqlgUbyO1 — Mina Ahadi (@MinaAhadi9) August 9, 2025 این سازمان با اشاره به اتهامات مطرحشده علیه موسویان، در بیانیهای از وزارت خارجه آمریکا خواست او را به آلمان مسترد کند تا بهخاطر نقش خود در قتل ایرانیان خارج از کشور محاکمه شود. بر اساس این بیانیه، ترورهای رستوران میکونوس و حکم تاریخی دادگاه برلین که جمهوری اسلامی را مسئول قتل چهار مخالف ایرانی در سال ۱۹۹۲ شناخت، میتواند و باید مبنای محاکمه موسویان قرار گیرد. در سالهای گذشته فعالان سیاسی، مدنی، خانوادههای دادخواه و چندین نهاد و انجمن بینالمللی از جمله سازمان اتحاد علیه ایران هستهای و «انجمن علمی محققان آمریکا» خواهان اخراج و قطع ارتباط پرینستون با موسویان شده بودند. فاکسنیوز آبان ۱۴۰۲ گزارش داد کمیته آموزش کنگره آمریکا تحقیقات خود را درباره ارتباط دانشگاه پرینستون با موسویان آغاز کرده است. اتحاد علیه مدافعان رژیم جمهوری اسلامی ایران در ادامه بیانیه خود تاکید کرد موسویان نه پژوهشگری بیطرف، بلکه سفیر سابق جمهوری اسلامی است که از فتوای قتل سلمان رشدی دفاع کرده، تبلیغات ضداسرائیلی را ترویج داده، سخنان یهودستیزانه را بازنشر و آشکارا از حزبالله و حماس که در فهرست سازمانهای تروریستی آمریکا هستند، حمایت کرده است. به گفته این سازمان، استخدام موسویان در پرینستون و همچنین فعالیت محمد جعفر محلاتی، سفیر پیشین جمهوری اسلامی در سازمان ملل، در کالج اوبرلین، نشاندهنده «الگویی نگرانکننده و منحصربهفرد» در مورد حکومت ایران است؛ چرا که سابقه نداشته سفرای پیشین هیچ حکومت سرکوبگر دیگری چنین جایگاههای معتبری در دانشگاههای آمریکا به دست آورند. این سازمان تاکید کرد: «این روند به افرادی که مستقیما در ترورها، اقدامات تروریستی و جنایت علیه بشریت نقش داشتهاند، تریبون و مشروعیت میبخشد.» بر اساس بیانیه اتحاد علیه مدافعان رژیم جمهوری اسلامی ایران، افشاگریهای تازه محسن رفیقدوست، نخستین وزیر سپاه پاسداران، دلایل جدیدی برای بازگشایی پروندههایی فراهم میکند که موسویان متهم به دست داشتن در آنهاست. رفیقدوست اسفند سال گذشته در مصاحبهای اعتراف کرد سپاه پاسداران حسابی مخفی در بانک صادرات شعبه فرانکفورت داشت تا از طریق پولشویی، ترور مخالفان حکومت در خارج از کشور را تامین مالی کند. به گفته این سازمان، اظهارات رفیقدوست، همراه با اسناد دادگاه از جمله گزارشهای اطلاعاتی آلمان که ارتباط سفارت جمهوری اسلامی در شهر بُن با عاملان ترورهای میکونوس از طریق تماسهای تلفنی رمزگذاریشده را نشان میدهد، مبنای حقوقی محکمی برای محاکمه موسویان فراهم میآورد. اتحاد علیه مدافعان رژیم جمهوری اسلامی ایران پایان همکاری موسویان با پرینستون را «موفقیتی حاصل تلاش هماهنگ» و البته «تنها نخستین گام» خواند و تاکید کرد مبارزه برای عدالت ادامه خواهد داشت. بر اساس بیانیه این سازمان، هدف بعدی، کشاندن مسئولان مرتبط با «کارزار جهانی ترور ایران» به دادگاه است. Please Click Here for the article.
Princeton University Announces Seyed Hossein Mousavian’s Departure
August 9, 2025 – After a two-year campaign by the Alliance Against Islamic Regime of Iran Apologists (AAIRIA), Princeton University has ended Seyed Hossein Mousavian’s 15-year tenure, which the school described as a retirement. AAIRIA urges the U.S. State Department to deport Mousavian to Germany to face prosecution for his role in the assassinations of at least 24 Iranian dissidents across Europe, including Shapour Bakhtiar, Fereydoun Farrokhzad, Dr. Abdul Rahman Ghasemlou, and Dr. Kazem Rajavi. New evidence from former IRGC commander Mohsen Rafiqdoost, along with court records from the Mykonos trial, strengthens the case to prosecute Mousavian — described by AAIRIA as the “father of the IRI’s terror plots in Europe” — for orchestrating decades of state-sponsored killings.








