By Elchanan Poupko
This week, Yale students honored the memory of Mahsa Amini, who was beaten to death by the Islamic Republic of Iran’s religious police on the same date in 2022.
Students set up a table on Yale’s Cross Campus featuring a picture of Amini and the pre-revolutionary Iranian Lion and Sun flag, also known as the Pahlavi flag.
At the table, students asked members of the Yale community to sign this petition urging Yale University and U.S. authorities to review the university’s decision to hire Robert Malley, former U.S. State Department Special Envoy to Iran, as a faculty member. Malley is currently under FBI investigation and previously stepped down from his position at the State Department due to an ongoing investigation into his alleged mishandling of classified information.
The petition calls on Yale and federal agencies to audit courses, disclose foreign funding, and protect Iranian dissident and refugee students from exposure to regime influence. The U.S.-based Alliance Against Islamic Regime of Iran Apologists (AAIRIA) has filed a formal complaint, noting that Malley was allegedly involved in the Iran Experts Initiative, a covert network launched by the Iranian Foreign Ministry to cultivate pro-regime voices in Western academia, media, and think tanks. The complaint also highlights criticism of Malley for normalizing and defending groups designated as terrorist organizations by the United States, including Hamas and Hezbollah, framing their actions as “rational” rather than condemning their attacks on civilians.
Malley’s course features guest speakers with long-standing ties to the Iranian regime. These include former diplomat Hossein Mousavian, who served as Iran’s ambassador to Germany during a period when Iranian agents assassinated dissidents in Europe, including the Mykonos restaurant killings in Berlin. Mousavian has publicly supported Hamas and Hezbollah, endorsed the fatwa calling for the murder of author Salman Rushdie, and made antisemitic statements. Former Iranian Foreign Minister Mohammad Javad Zarif is also featured; he has been accused of misleading the international community about the downing of Flight PS752, denying the existence of political prisoners, and supporting terrorist organizations while signing the 2015 nuclear agreement without reading its technical annexes. Ali Vaez, a senior analyst at the International Crisis Group and described as Malley’s protégé, reportedly submitted articles to Iranian officials for review prior to publication and regularly echoes regime talking points.
Students in the course are reportedly asked to simulate the roles of Iranian policymakers, address memos to Iran’s Foreign Minister, and immerse themselves in perspectives aligned with the Islamic Republic, while no dissidents, survivors, or victims of the regime are invited to participate.
