UANI Calls For Federal Investigation Into Iran’s Influence Operations On U.S. Soil

(New York, NY) – In light of today’s new revelations from Semafor about how Princeton University became ensnared with the Iranian regime, United Against Nuclear Iran (UANI) is calling for an urgent congressional investigation into ongoing influence operations by the Islamic Republic of Iran on American soil. Princeton must also terminate its relationship with Hossein Mousavian, an apparent agent of the Iranian regime.  

The CEO of UANI Ambassador Mark D. Wallace said: “American universities should be centers of learning, not conduits for foreign agendas. Today’s report showcases how the U.S. government is behind the curve in countering Islamic Republic influence operations on U.S. soil. The avalanche of stories over the last year—from the suspension of U.S. Special Envoy for Iran Robert Malley to the revealing of the Iran Experts Initiative and Princeton University’s role as a platform to promote the interests of the Islamic Republic—necessitate a formal congressional investigation. If this were China or Russia, there would already be more attention. Iran should be no exception. 

“Further, the U.S. House Committee on Education and the Workforce must summon Princeton University’s President, Christopher Eisgruber, to testify before Congress on why Princeton, a recipient of federal funds, is allowing Hossein Mousavian, an apparent agent of a hostile foreign power, to promote the Iranian regime’s Foreign Ministry’s “messaging and engagements in the West,” as Semafor reports. In fact, one of Mousavian’s co-authors in an op-ed he wrote from his perch at Princeton, Kaveh Afrasiabi, was indicted by the U.S. Justice Department for acting as an unregistered agent of the Iranian government. Semafor’s findings shatter the myth that Mousavian is just an unaffiliated scholar pursuing academic research.  

“Lastly, Princeton must terminate its relationship with Mousavian, as UANI has been calling on the university to do for years. In 2022, UANI sent a letter to Princeton’s administration and board of trustees outlining its concerns with his behavior, but no action has been taken to date. At a time when campuses, including Princeton, are aflame with antisemitism and groups amplifying the calls of U.S.-sanctioned foreign terrorist organizations, decisive action must be taken now.”  

To read UANI’s investigation into Hossein Mousavian and its letter to Princeton University in 2022, please click here. 

To sign UANI’s petition calling on Princeton University to sever its ties with Hossein Mousavian, please click here.