Petition to Yale University Leadership and Relevant U.S. Government Authorities

We, the undersigned students, alumni, Iranian-Americans, and concerned allies, call on Yale University and the U.S. government to urgently review the platforming of sanctioned and regime-affiliated figures tied to the Islamic Republic in Iran in U.S. academic institutions.

At Yale, former U.S. diplomat Robert Malley, whose security clearance has been  suspended and who is under FBI investigation, is teaching while assigning a syllabus that  features individuals with long-standing ties to the Islamic Republic, including but not limited to:

• Mohammad Javad Zarif, the Islamic Republic’s longtime foreign minister, now sanctioned by the U.S. government for enabling repression and supporting terrorist proxies.
• Hossein Mousavian, a former regime diplomat associated with the 1990s Mykonos assassinations in Berlin and known for promoting antisemitic and pro-terrorist narratives.
• Ali Vaez, a figure documented to have coordinated commentary with regime officials, amplifying propaganda during nuclear negotiations.
• Trita Parsi, known for promoting positions favorable to the Islamic Republic and downplaying its human rights abuses, has also been seen numerous times in private meetings with regime officials.

These individuals are not neutral scholars. They are functionaries, propagandists, or advocates for the Islamic Republic. Their presence in U.S. classrooms risks legitimizing an authoritarian system that persecutes women, minorities, and political prisoners, and endangers Iranian refugees and dissidents studying in America.

We respectfully call on Yale University to:

1. Audit courses and events that the platform sanctioned or regime-affiliated individuals.
2. Publicly disclose whether funding linked to Qatar or the Islamic Republic is subsidizing these activities.
3. Establish safeguards to prevent Yale’s name from being used to launder authoritarian propaganda directly linked to designated state sponsors of terrorism, such as the Islamic Republic in Iran.

We also call on the U.S. government, including the Department of Education, the Department of Treasury (OFAC), and the FBI, to:

1. Review Yale’s activities for compliance with sanctions law and foreign influence regulations.
2. Ensure that federal funds are not indirectly supporting projects tied to the Islamic Republic.
3. Protect the safety of Iranian refugee and dissident students from exposure to regime agents on U.S. campuses.

Academic freedom is a pillar of higher education, but it cannot be used as cover to normalize the narratives of sanctioned officials and advocates of the Islamic Republic. Both Yale University and the U.S. government have a duty to safeguard truth, integrity, and the security of students.