Students and staff at colleges across the United States include relatives of Iran’s political elite, even as Iran’s leaders continue to oppose the United States in public rhetoric. According to reporting from The New York Post, children of senior Iranian officials have studied or taught at prestigious universities including the University of Massachusetts, Union College in New York and George Washington University in Washington, DC.The presence of these individuals in American academic institutions raises questions, given their family connections to the Iranian regime. Critics describe this as a striking contrast between Iran’s public hostility to US and the private choices of its elite to send their children abroad for education and careers.
Medical doctor in Georgia
One case involves Fatemeh Ardeshir‑Larijani, the daughter of Ali Larijani, a senior Iranian official. Ardeshir‑Larijani worked as a medical doctor and taught at the Winship Cancer Institute at Emory University in Atlanta, Georgia. Her profile was later removed from the university website amid protests and calls for her departure.Supporters of action against her argued that her family ties to a regime seen as hostile to US created a potential concern. A member of the US Congress wrote to Emory University saying that her employment should be reconsidered due to her “familial ties” to a sanctioned Iranian official.
Mathematics professor in New York
In New York, Leila Khatami, daughter of former Iranian President Mohammad Khatami, has taught mathematics at Union College in Schenectady. Her biography and photograph were reportedly removed from the college’s staff pages after wider reporting on her background.
Faculty in Massachusetts, Washington DC
Other examples include Zeinab Hajjarian, the daughter of Saeed Hajjarian, a well‑known adviser in Iran’s political system, who holds a faculty position at the University of Massachusetts Lowell. Another is Ehsan Nobakht, an associate professor at George Washington University’s medical school, and the son of Ali Nobakht, a former Iranian deputy health minister.
Professor of nuclear engineering in Illinois
At the University of Illinois Urbana‑Champaign, Zahra Mohaghegh Damad, a niece of Ali Larijani and daughter of a senior Iranian cleric, works as an assistant professor in nuclear, plasma and radiological engineering.
Thousands of the Iranian elite’s relatives
This phenomenon is not limited to one or two individuals. According to the New York Post, between 4,000 and 5,000 relatives of prominent Iranian officials live in the United States, with additional numbers in Canada and Australia. These family members have benefited from opportunities abroad that are denied to ordinary Iranians.
‘Noble born’
Critics use the word “aghazadeh”, which means “noble born”, to describe the children of Iran’s powerful political families. They say these children get special chances to study and work abroad that ordinary Iranians do not have. Opponents argue this shows a double standard in Iran, where regular people can face limits on travel and freedom, while the elite and their children benefit from privilege.Supporters of the regime’s critics argue that allowing these individuals to live and work freely in the United States may inadvertently offer them a platform and influence in academic discussions. They say this could shape views about Iran’s government among American students and the public.
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