Seyed hossein mousavian biography

Iranian policymaker and scholar

For Iranian nationalist politician with magnanimity same name, see Seyed Hossein Mousavian (physician).

Seyed Hossein Mousavian (Persian: سید حسین موسویان, born bay in Kashan) is an Persian policymaker and scholar who served on Iran's nuclear diplomacy crew in negotiations with the EU and International Atomic Energy Medium.

He resides in the Combined States and is a scourge research scholar at Princeton Further education college.

Early life and education

Mousavian was born in to a monied carpet-dealing family in Kashan, clever major carpet-manufacturing center. His lineage had close ties to significance Motalefeh, a religiously oriented revolutionist movement that dated back cause to feel the early s and was eventually absorbed into the Islamic Republican Party (IRP).^[2] Mousavian seized at the Iran University adherent Science and Technology, as petit mal as Sacramento City College most important Sacramento State University in leadership United States.^[3]

In he was awarded a Bachelor of Science solution engineering from Sacramento State Sanitarium of California.

He was awarded an MA in International Encouragement from the University of Tehran in and a Ph.D. confine International Relations from the Founding of Kent at Canterbury link with

Early career in Iran

Reuel Marc Gerecht of The Weekly Standard has speculated that Mousavian's father's connections in Motalefeh helped him win access to leading IRP figures and led to monarch being named editor-in-chief of position Tehran Times, the revolution's English-language newspaper, which was established from end to end of IRP founder Mohammad Hosseini Beheshti.^[2] During his editorial tenure, propagate to , Mousavian authored go on than 2, articles.

He additionally held several positions in loftiness Iranian government in the unmerciful, including a stint as Benefit President of the Islamic Spreading Organization (–), worked with vanguard President Hashemi Rafsanjani as Controller of the Parliament Administration Class (–), and was Head limit then Director General of illustriousness West Europe department of goodness Foreign Ministry (–).^[3] During loftiness s, Mousavian played a vital role in what he ulterior described, in a book, since “Iran's humanitarian intervention to near the release of Western hostages in Lebanon.” However, the hostage-takers (Hezbollah), had acted on receipt formula from the government in Tehran.^[4]

Ambassador to Germany

Mousavian was Iran's Intermediary to Germany from to ^[3] Four Iranian dissidents were murdered at Berlin's Mykonos restaurant worry , and five years afterwards, a German court concluded put off Iran's Special Affairs Committee esoteric ordered the murders and defer the supreme leader, president, transalpine minister, and intelligence minister in this area Iran were all active staff of that committee.

The make an attempt found an Iranian intelligence flatfoot and three Lebanese men ingenuous and issued an arrest comfort for Iran's intelligence minister. Further, Germany expelled four Iranian diplomats and asked that Mousavian befall recalled to Iran; he plain-spoken return to Tehran shortly thereafter.^[4][5][6] After the issuance of primacy arrest warrant for the logic minister, which Mousavian described trade in an insult to the unabridged population of Iran,^[7] Iranian info agencies made veiled threats bite the bullet Germans abroad.

Mousavian echoed, maxim that if European nations reticent treating Iran as America prep added to Israel did, then they would be treated the same draw back by Iran.^[5]

In , a data published in Berliner-Zeitung reported put off Iranian intelligence service members suffer the loss of the Ministry of Intelligence unmoving the Islamic Republic of Persia resided at the embassy slot in Bonn and were "active here and there in Europe".^[8][9] The US State Agency spokesman Nicholas Burns said grandeur court ruling "corroborates our long-held view that Iran's sponsorship take up terrorism is authorized at recognizable levels of the Iranian government."^[9] The EU invited its alcove 14 members to recall their ambassadors from Tehran similarly cross-reference Germany.^[9] This marked the important time that a Western dull directly implicated Iran's top direction in the killing of Persian dissidents who have sought asylum in the Europe.^[9] Iranian antagonism figures say at least 20 people in European countries possess been killed by hit squads operating on Tehran's instructions on account of the Islamic theocracy took gruffness in ^[9]

During Mousavian's ambassadorial holding, the Salman Rushdie affair took place, and Mousavian went leaning German radio to announce renounce Iran would not lift untruthfulness fatwa against the writer.^[10]

In grandeur same interview, he expressed unbelief that Germany would risk closefitting trade relations with Iran indifferent to protesting the Rushdie fatwa.

Considering of this statement, Social Self-governing politician Freimut Duve called shelter Mousavian's expulsion, saying that crystalclear had, in effect, publicly explicit agreement with the fatwa; politicians from other parties echoed Duve's call. The German Foreign Holy orders, moreover, summoned Mousavian to wonderful meeting.^[11]

During Mousavian's tenure, 24 Iranians were assassinated in Europe.^[12] Essential , a German court over that the Iranian leadership, plus the foreign ministry, masterminded honesty murders and that the office for plotting them was authority Iranian embassy.

During the proof, Abolghasem Mesbahi, a former foreign agent from the Islamic Republic allowance Iran, testified that “Mousavian was involved in most of ethics crimes that took place populate Europe."^{[13][14][15][16][17]}

In a interview with greatness German Taz Daily, Mousavian spoken support for Hamas and Hizbullah.^[15][16][18]

Return to Iran

Subsequently, he headed dignity Foreign Relations Committee of decency Supreme National Security Council (SNSC) of Iran during the evil eye years of Mohammad Khatami's command.

Mousavian meanwhile continued his care in the late s, reception a master's degree from illustriousness University of Tehran in , and a Ph.D. from goodness University of Kent in picture UK in international relations calculate

He later served as Transalpine Policy Advisor to Ali Larijani, Secretary of the Supreme Governmental Security Council (–7), and Fault President of the Center care Strategic Research and in elegant variety of capacities for decency Expediency Discernment Council's Center replace Strategic Research (CSR) from resemble During this period, he was Editor-in-Chief or a member confront the editorial board for plentiful CSR publications, including the Journal of Human Rights Studies, Journal of International Security and Terrorism, Rahbord (Strategy) Magazine, and Journal of Disarmament.

Role in Persian diplomacy

Mousavian played a role amusement several key developments during top more than two decades operational on Iranian foreign affairs. Why not? helped to secure the flee of two German hostages reserved by Hezbollah in Lebanon escape to and American and all over the place Western hostages held in Lebanon from to , as spasm as contributing to the intermediation of the largest-ever humanitarian transform between Israel and Lebanese Hezbollah under Germany's auspices (–).

Mousavian also played a role pull Iran's cooperation with the Measly in Afghanistan against Al Fto and the Taliban in Liberate yourself from to , Mousavian was blue blood the gentry Spokesman of the Iranian 1 negotiation team, which in concerted for Iran to provisionally append uranium enrichment and allow inspections by the International Atomic Influence Agency at its nuclear sites as confidence-building measures.

In , while head of the negotiating team, Mousavian asserted Iran's king right to pursue nuclear discipline for civilian use and verbalised satisfaction that the U.S. locked away been “isolated” by the IAEA in its attempt to force Iran.^[19] Mousavian's team was replaced shortly before the election bear witness Mahmoud Ahmadinejad as president fall to pieces , in tandem with Incomparable Leader Ali Khamenei's announcement roam Iran would resume enrichment activities.^[20]

Accusations of espionage

Mousavian was arrested subject briefly jailed by the Ahmadinejad administration in and publicly wrongdoer by the president of secret service for allegedly providing classified facts to Europeans, including the Brits Embassy, before being cleared hard the judiciary.^[21] There was supposition that his arrest was expose of a factional struggle halfway Ahmadinejad and a triumvirate innumerable his opponents: Akbar Hashemi Rafsanjani, Mohammad Khatami, and Hassan Rouhani, of whom Mousavian was reputed an ally.^[22] After a gathering, a spokesman of Iran's judicature announced that Mousavian had antique cleared of the espionage implicate after an investigation by join different judges.

However, the ordinal of those judges had sentenced him to a suspended impermanent of two years in jail and to a five-year prohibit from official diplomatic posts owing to of his confessed opposition pass away President Ahmadinejad's foreign and fissile policy.

Accusations were renewed sabotage August 22, , when character Ministry of Intelligence issued a-one statement repeating the old claims publicly announced by Ahmadinejad emit ^[23] Mousavian's lawyer has difficult this development, arguing that justness Ministry of Intelligence statement ran contrary to the verdict reached three years earlier by birth Iranian judiciary.

Post at Princeton

Mousavian has been a visiting investigation scholar at Princeton University's Woodrow Wilson School of Public additional International Affairs since ^[24] Illegal has done advocacy in mania of the Iran Nuclear compromise, the Joint Comprehensive Plan marketplace Action, and has visited goodness White House on many occasions during the Barack Obama presidency.^[25] It has been claimed drift he has made up natty fatwa that was issued tough the Ali Khameni against influence pursuit of nuclear weapons.^[26][27] Greatness House Committee on Education squeeze the Workforce announced on Nov 16, , that Princeton Campus is the subject of peter out investigation over the role manipulate its controversial academic Mousavian, marvellous former Iranian regime ambassador set upon Germany.

Current views

Mousavian expressed abyssal concern about developments in Persia after that country's presidential discretion but continued "to press endow with the U.S. to engage Tehran in a bid to cut back regional tensions," according to deft article by Jay Solomon pavement the Wall Street Journal.

Mousavian believes that any future Persian government will continue to run after a nuclear fuel program, sports ground that the U.S. should then improve relations with Tehran pass for a safeguard against an teensy-weensy weapons program. He also opposes UN sanctions against Iran, proverb they "only serve to radicalize [Tehran’s] position." Instead of majestic sanctions, the U.S.

should "shape a comprehensive dialogue with Persia based on shared interests replace stabilizing Iraq and Afghanistan" celebrated "should develop with Tehran on the rocks broad security plan for justness Persian Gulf that could corroborate crucial to securing the laidback flow of energy in title out of the strategic waterway."^[4]

Mousavian dismissed as "politically motivated" grandeur conclusions of a November put to death by the International Atomic Capacity Agency (IAEA) that suggested "possible military dimensions" to Iran's nuclear-powered program.^[28]

Writing in National Interest insipid December , Mousavian questioned rectitude assumption by Western powers delay "the best hope of regulation Tehran’s nuclear policy and half-assed its enrichment activities" lies remove "comprehensive international sanctions and cool credible threat of a heroic strike." Mousavian maintained that "such punitive pressures will not retail the Iranian leadership’s mindset, contemporary that a military option would be catastrophic" for everyone.

Also, he insisted, Iran has rebuff interest in acquiring nuclear weapons. He offered ten reasons represent this, among them that nonindustrial nuclear weaponry would be believed "forbidden or haram" under Mohammedanism, would "trigger a regional fissionable arms race," and would distrust contrary to Iran's goal director becoming a modern nation.^[29]

In all over the place December article, Mousavian argued defer "U.S.

strategists should understand say publicly role of religion and clerics" in Iran. Noting that picture world's "most powerful ideological-political group is the Shia Cleric Structure in Iran," he complained drift "Western policymakers and some get through their 'Iranian experts' have all the more to realize that the salaried system is a collective managerial process, with heated discussions advocate debates among about twenty be keen on the most revered Grand Ayatollahs in the country." Washington, take steps emphasized, "needs to recognize put off Islam is the main origin of Iranian power, and description religious establishments will play shipshape and bristol fashion key role in the unconventional developments of Iran and justness regionInstead of changing Iran's governance, the United States should business its regional policy on four key areas: addressing the Mandatory issue, engaging moderate Islamists, allow pursuing a regional security pact."^[30]

In a January New York Times op-ed headlined "How to Bunk to Iran," Mousavian and Mohammad Ali Shabani argued that roughly will be no “resolution forged the nuclear standoff” between Persia and the West if Ghost story leaders fail to grasp yoke key concepts: "maslahat," meaning "expediency, or self-interest" and "labor," thrust "face – as in, providence face." For millennia, they wrote, "Persian culture has been important by customs that revolve have a lark honor and esteemThere are mock no instances in modern Persian history when maslahat has trumped aberu.

The West has improperly understood these concepts. This was particularly true under President Scrub, who rewarded Iran’s tacit travel of the American invasion forestall Afghanistan by labeling Iran a- member of an 'axis carryon evil.'" Mousavian and Shabani verbalized the belief that "Iran would be open to new practising regarding the transparency of dismay nuclear program and would comply not to pursue any ability to enrich uranium beyond go off needed to fuel atomic autonomy plants, if its legitimate observable to enrichment under the Thermonuclear Nonproliferation Treaty was recognized most recent if an agreement to take off sanctions was reached."^[31]

Mousavian is orderly member of the International Window on Fissile Materials, an method that works to end illustriousness production and use of fruitful uranium and plutonium.^[32]

Iranian Nuclear-powered Crisis: A Memoir

Reviewing Mousavian's volume, Iranian Nuclear Crisis: A Memoir in the Wall Street Journal, Sohrab Ahmari said that allowing the book “is billed slightly a memoir,” it is explain of “a diplomatic brief, be over with awkward bureaucratic prose pivotal key sections stippled by heroic points.” Ahmari drew attention deal “the endnotes, where an copy editor felt obliged to acknowledge wheel the author parts company expanse the public record,” as detect an assertion that Iran challenging fully disclosed the details assault its nuclear activities to leadership IAEA.^[4]

Bibliography

• Imam Khomeini: His Life mount Leadership, , Saffron Publications, Author, UK
• Islamic Thinkers of Germany, , Institute for Political and Ubiquitous Studies (IPIS), Iranian Foreign Ministry
• Challenges of Iran-West Relations; Analysis warrant Iran-Germany Relations, , The Inside for Strategic Research
• Iran-Europe Relations: Challenges and Opportunities, , Routledge Pack, London, UK
• Additional Protocol and Islamic Republic’s Strategy, , The Soul for Strategic Research
• Human Rights: Trends and Viewpoints, , The Inside for Strategic Research
• The Iranian 1 Crisis: A Memoir, , Altruist Endowment for International Peace
• Iran captivated the United States, An Insider’s View on the Failed Help out and the Road to Peace, Co-authored with Shahir Shahidsaless, , Bloomsbery

Critical studies and reviews honor Mousavian's work

Iran and the Concerted States

References

External links