Cruz urges Princeton to take action over professor accused of pro-Iran allegiances, citing risk to students

EXCLUSIVE – Texas Republican Sen. Ted Cruz called connected his alma mater, Princeton University, to disregard a erstwhile high-level Iranian authorities authoritative due to the fact that helium is allegedly making students consciousness unsafe amid caller outbreaks of antisemitism astatine the New Jersey university.

The ex-official for the Islamic Republic of Iran, Seyed Hossein Mousavian, who is simply a Middle East information and atomic argumentation specialist at the university, is nether unit connected galore fronts from legislature representatives, Princeton students and experts connected antisemitism. 

"Mousavian is intimately linked to the Iranian authorities and to the regime’s campaigns of coercion and murder. His beingness astatine Princeton makes students consciousness justifiably acrophobic for their safety. Princeton’s determination to support employing him shows they attraction little astir their students, and much astir providing a level for pro-regime and anti-American propaganda. That benignant of reckless organization ideological bias is precisely wherefore the Trump medication is reassessing national backing for Princeton," Cruz told Fox News Digital successful an exclusive statement.

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Students, immoderate module and outsiders gathered connected the lawns extracurricular the Princeton chapel to protestation Israel's subject run successful Gaza, April 25, 2024. (Mary Ann Koruth / Imagn)

Fox News Digital antecedently reported that Mousavian expressed enactment for the U.S.-designated violent movements, Hamas and Hezbollah, and appeared to wage tribute to the planetary Iranian violent Qassem Soleimani successful 2020 erstwhile helium attended his funeral. 

President Donald Trump ordered a drone onslaught to destruct Soleimani successful January 2020 for his relation successful the murders of implicit 600 American subject unit successful the Middle East and his readying of caller violent attacks.

Mousavian has declined to renounce his enactment for Hamas, Hezbollah and Iran's fatwa (religious decree) to assassinate the British-American writer Salman Rushdie. 

A Hezbollah emblem was connected show during a Princeton pupil protestation encampment against Israel past year. The Iran-backed Hezbollah was liable for a 1983 bombing that murdered 241 U.S. subject members successful Beirut.

Maximillian Meyer, president of Princeton Tigers for Israel, and an undergraduate astatine the university, told Fox News Digital, "I commend Sen. Cruz for raising urgent concerns astir Princeton’s employment of Mousavian, whose vocation has been defined by shilling for the world’s starring authorities sponsor of terrorism. Credible reports linking Mousavian to the oversight of Iranian dissident assassinations successful Europe – alongside his endorsement of the fatwa connected Salman Rushdie – are profoundly alarming."

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Seyed Hossein Mousavian, , who was past caput of the Iranian delegation, speaks to journalists astatine the International Atomic Energy Agency, Nov. 29, 2004 successful Vienna. Mousavian is presently a Middle East information and atomic argumentation specialist at Princeton. (Robert Newald/AFP via Getty Images)

Fox News Digital archetypal reported successful November 2023 that the House Committee connected Education and the Workforce launched an probe into Mousavian's relation successful advancing the interests of the clerical authorities successful Tehran.

During Mousavian’s tenure arsenic Iran’s ambassador to Germany, helium was successful complaint of the embassy that a German tribunal recovered "served arsenic the ‘headquarters’ for the readying of the 1992 assassination of 4 Iranian dissidents astatine the Greek edifice Mykonos successful Berlin."

However, the erstwhile Iranian ambassador antecedently told Fox News Digital that "This accusation is simply a large lie," and "The 398-page verdict is published, and everyone tin person entree to it. The Berlin tribunal verdict does not incorporate immoderate nonstop oregon indirect allegations against me. German authorities ne'er forced maine to permission the country.… I person been a predominant visitant to Germany."

Yet, Iranian dissidents and quality rights experts uncovered grounds from Abolghasem Mesbahi, a erstwhile senior-level Iranian quality official, who told the Berlin tribunal during the Mykonos trial, "Mousavian participated successful astir of the [Iranian regime's] crimes that took spot successful Europe."

Mousavian did not respond to aggregate Fox News Digital property queries, WhatsApp messages and telephone calls for this article. 

Sen. Ted Cruz talks with reporters. (Tom Williams/CQ-Roll Call, Inc via Getty Images)

Meyer, the Princeton undergraduate student, said, "Anyone who has served successful elder roles for the repressive Islamic Republic of Iran poses a wide menace to American nationalist security. His continued employment astatine Princeton is simply a damning indictment of the anti-Americanism festering wrong alleged ‘elite’ institutions."

Princeton President Christopher Eisgruber, who precocious said helium would defy Trump’s efforts to halt antisemitism via national backing cuts to the affluent university, did not respond to Fox News Digital email property queries and telephone calls astir Mousavian.

Fox News Digital precocious reported that pro-Hamas and pro-Palestinian agitators stormed a speech by erstwhile Israeli Prime Minister Naftali Bennett astatine Princeton, sparking disapproval from Jewish students astatine Princeton.

In a connection to Fox News Digital implicit the incident, Eisgruber said helium was "appalled" astatine reports of antisemitic language used during Bennett's visit. He added, "Such behaviour is reprehensible and intolerable. The University is investigating and volition prosecute disciplinary measures arsenic appropriate, to the grade immoderate members of the Princeton University assemblage are implicated."

Christopher Eisgruber, president of Princeton University, during an interrogation successful New York, connected Oct 11, 2023. (Christopher Goodney/Bloomberg/Getty Images)

It is unclear if Eisgruber suspended oregon expelled students who prevented Bennett from speaking. Mousavian has faced disapproval for stoking antisemitism since Hamas invaded Israel and slaughtered implicit 1,200 people, including much than 40 Americans. Eisgruber has gone soundless astir Mousavian’s actions.

A Fox News Digital introspection of Mousavian’s X relationship shows a precocious fig of Persian and English posts attacking the Jewish state, including comparing Israel with Nazi Germany. The examination betwixt Israel and Nazi Germany is classified arsenic modern antisemitism, according to the wide accepted explanation formulated by the International Holocaust Remembrance Alliance. 

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Rabbi Abraham Cooper, the erstwhile seat of the U.S. Commission connected International Religious Freedom and manager of Global Social Action astatine the Simon Wiesenthal Center, asked Eisgruber in a connection to Fox News Digital: Why does the assemblage proceed to support Mousavian astatine a clip of raging antisemitism and what is helium inactive doing there? 

Cooper further asked, successful the discourse of the reported antisemitic mob onslaught connected Bennett and Mousavian’s alleged ties to the murders carried retired by Iran’s regime, wherefore can’t "the President of Princeton link the dots"?

Anti-Israel protesters astatine Princeton disrupt a code by erstwhile Israeli Prime Minister Naftali Bennett. (Max Meyer/X)

Cooper said connected Eisgruber’s ticker "It is simply a shameful section that indispensable extremity the close way." Cooper accused Eisgruber of "stoic soundlessness oregon indifference to antisemitism" and "stonewalling" efforts to clasp Mousavian accountable for his alleged crimes and antisemitism. Cooper continued that Eisgruber owes it to Jewish students and faculty, Iranian-Americans, and Iranian dissidents to reply basal questions astir Mousavian.

Eisgruber has not obstructed immoderate instrumentality enforcement efforts to analyse Mousavian’s alleged crimes.

Cooper besides called connected Princeton and Mousavian to taxable his Ph.D. for examination. Fox News Digital has learned that neither Princeton University nor the University of Kent successful the United Kingdom, wherever Mousavian allegedly obtained his Ph.D. successful 2002, were consenting to nutrient a transcript of his dissertation. 

Mousavian was the caput of the Foreign Relations Committee of Iran’s National Security Council (1997-2005), according to his Princeton webpage.

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An aerial changeable of anti-Israel protesters astatine Princeton. (WTXF)

Gary Hughes, a spokesperson for the University of Kent, told Fox News Digital, "Data extortion rule besides means that neither myself nor immoderate different workfellow crossed the University tin disclose idiosyncratic information astir this oregon immoderate different existent oregon erstwhile student." 

He said the university’s Freedom of Information (FOI) bureau tin reply the request. The FOI bureau denied a request and aboriginal said aft Fox News Digital appealed that, "We are presently conducting an interior reappraisal successful narration to your request." 

A British-Iranian antheral sought to get Mousavian’s Ph.D. successful January, according to email correspondence obtained by Fox News Digital. Kent University’s Open Research squad wrote successful 1 email, "I americium acrophobic we person nary grounds of Mr. Seyed Hossein Mousavian's thesis successful the room catalogue." Fox News Digital searches for Mousavian’s Ph.D. successful American, British and German world databases showed nary results. 

The Swedish-Iranian writer Iraj Mesdaghi told Fox News Digital that helium sought to get Mousavian’s Ph.D. successful 2013. The University of Kent declined to nutrient it. Mesdaghi wrote astir the large lengths helium went to successful bid to unafraid entree to Mousavian’s alleged Ph.D. connected his website, including interaction with the FOI office. 

Shirley M. Tilghman, the erstwhile president of Princeton University erstwhile Mousavian was hired successful 2009, declined to reply a property query astir whether she vetted Mousavian and his alleged Ph.D. 

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Fox News Digital property queries regarding Cruz’s remark to the Department of Education, the U.S. State Department and Leo Terrell, who heads the Trump administration’s task unit connected antisemitism, were not instantly answered.

Fox News Digital newsman Louis Casiano contributed to this report.