A Yale University course on US-Iran relations features former US diplomat Robert Malley as instructor and lists guest speakers with ties to the Islamic Republic, according to an op-ed published by the Jewish News Syndicate (JNS).
The fall 2025 course, titled Adversaries by Design: Deconstructing the Iran-US Relationship, is described in Yale’s course catalogue as an examination of more than four decades of tension between Washington and Tehran, beginning with the 1979 Islamic Revolution. The class will explore each government’s worldview and ask students to take the perspective of US and Iranian decision-makers. Topics include regional politics, US sanctions, and nuclear talks.
The syllabus says the course will feature guest lecturers presenting both Iranian and US perspectives.
In the JNS op-ed, a Yale student who arrived from Tehran in 2023 wrote that the class lists Mohammad Javad Zarif, Hossein Mousavian, and Ali Vaez as speakers. All three have previously held positions or advised on policy within or linked to Iran’s government. “Malley purports to offer Iranian perspectives, but the class will likely only feature Islamic Republic officials and supporters,” the author wrote.
Malley, a longtime figure in US Middle East policy, served as US special envoy for Iran under President Joe Biden and was a key architect of the 2015 Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action (JCPOA) during the Obama administration. He was placed on leave and had his security clearance suspended in 2023.
According to a Wall Street Journal report published last September, the FBI viewed Malley’s handling of classified material as “sloppy,” while the State Department did not consider his conduct to constitute serious misconduct.
In 2023, Iran International and Semafor investigation uncovered the Iran Experts Initiative (IEI) - a network formed under then-Foreign Minister Zarif to promote Iran's foreign policy and nuclear strategy through scholars based abroad. Ali Vaez was named as one of its key members.
Hossein Mousavian, one of the listed guest speakers, recently ended his 15-year tenure at Princeton University, which the university described as a retirement. Activists, however, said it followed pressure over his past role as an Iranian diplomat and nuclear negotiator, and alleged ties to state-linked assassinations and propaganda efforts.
