Iran Experts Initiative

Iran led worldwide influence program

The Iran Experts Initiative (IEI) was a project Iranian Foreign Ministry officials initiated in 2014.[1][2][3] According to reports based on leaked emails, the initiative was used to "promote Tehran's arguments in the west".[4][5][6] Members of the Iran Experts Initiative worked as academics and researchers for think tanks in the West, and gave advice to Europe and the U.S.[7] According to a report by Iran International, the project consisted of "an influence network formed and guided by Tehran".[8]

## Leaked emails[edit]

In September 2023, the London-based Persian-language news television channel Iran International and the news website Semafor obtained leaked foreign ministry emails in which Iranian government officials claimed credit for assembling a network of Western scholars called the Iran Experts Initiative.[9][10][8]

According to the reports, the thousands of emails describe an effort by Iran's Foreign Ministry "to improve Tehran's image abroad".[11][5] The reports also said Iran sought to build international ties with influential academics and researchers.[12]

Pentagon official and academic Ariane Tabatabai has been linked to the Iran Experts Initiative.[13][14] The Pentagon launched an investigation following the reports.[15][16] Tabatabai, as well as Ali Vaez of the International Crisis Group[17] and Dina Esfandiary (also linked to the Iran Experts Initiative), had previously worked closely with special U.S. envoy for Iran Robert Malley, who had been placed on leave in June 2023 for "serious security concerns".[18][19][20] Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps Mostafa Zahrani is also said to have participated in the initiative.[21]

## Contact with Tehran[edit]

Iranian diplomat Saeed Khatibzadeh wrote a letter in 2014 to Mostafa Zahrani (head of Iran's Foreign Ministry think tank) saying that the core members of the IEI had been selected. IEI members reportedly communicated with Iranian officials, submitting draft op-eds for review. The op-eds included viewpoints such as "According to Khamenei's fatwa, Nuclear bomb is not Halal in shiite belief and therefore will not be developed by the theocratic regime" and "the regime has no viable alternative and MEK is disliked in Iran, and therefore this regime has to and will stay despite any discontent."[22][23]

## Official reactions[edit]

House Armed Services Committee Chairman Mike Rogers expressed "deep concern with the Department [of Defense]'s hiring of Ariane Tabatabai".[24] State Department spokesman Matt Miller said that the report "looked like an account of things that happened almost a decade ago", while Intelligence and Special Operations Subcommittee Chairman Jack Bergman said Tabatabai's "close ties" to the Iranian government "should disqualify her for a position in such a sensitive area as special operations and low-intensity conflict."[11]

## References[edit]

1. ^ "Iran's Influence Operation Pays Off". The Atlantic. September 28, 2023.
2. ^ "Inside Iran's influence operation". Yahoo News. September 26, 2023.
3. ^ "Pentagon infiltrated by Iran: Report". American Military News. September 27, 2023.
4. ^ "Is an Iranian Foreign Ministry Influencer Sitting at a Desk at the Pentagon?". New York Sun. September 26, 2023.
5. ^ a b "Republicans pile on Biden's ousted Iran envoy after new reports allege aides had links to Tehran". Independent. September 29, 2023.
6. ^ Hagmann, Jannis (September 27, 2023). "Experten in der Kritik". Die Tageszeitung: Taz.
7. ^ "State Department Tries To Brush Aside Report On Iranian Infiltration". IranIntl. October 5, 2023.
8. ^ a b "Inside Tehran's Soft War - How Iran Gained Influence In US Policy Centers". IranIntl.
9. ^ "Iranian Influence Scandal". National Review. September 27, 2023.
10. ^ "Inside Iran's influence Operation". Semafor. September 26, 2023.
11. ^ a b "Lawmakers seek answers after reports of links between top Pentagon official and Iran". Washington Times.
12. ^ "House and Senate take different paths to avoid shutdown, but neither path is clear". Washington Examiner. September 27, 2023.
13. ^ "Inside Iran's influence operation". September 26, 2023.
14. ^ "Inside Tehran's Soft War". September 26, 2023.
15. ^ "Pentagon probes official after Iran report". September 29, 2023.
16. ^ "A recent media report said Pentagon employee Dr. Ariane Tabatabai was tied to an Iranian government program". Fox News. October 1, 2023.
17. ^ Bret Stephens (October 3, 2023). "Iran's Captive Minds". The New York Times. Retrieved January 20, 2024. "Another well-known participant in the I.E.I. was Ali Vaez, now the Iran project director at the International Crisis Group"
18. ^ Hagmann, Jannis (October 1, 2023). "Experten in der Kritik". Die Tageszeitung: Taz.
19. ^ "An Iran mouthpiece's 'scoop' draws Republican ire". Politico. October 1, 2023.
20. ^ "Is an Iranian Foreign Ministry Influencer Sitting at a Desk at the Pentagon?". October 1, 2023.
21. ^ "Ist dieser Baerbock-Berater ein Mullah-Agent?". October 1, 2023.
22. ^ "The Ayatollah's Hidden Hand" (PDF). National Review. January 24, 2024.
23. ^ Bowden, John (January 24, 2024). "Republicans pile on Biden's ousted Iran envoy after new reports allege aides had links to Tehran". The Independent.
24. ^ "House Republicans Have Some Questions About DOD Official's 'Close Relationship' With Iran". October 1, 2023.

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