Former Iranian nuclear negotiator and senior diplomat turned Princeton academic Hossein Mousavian has left the university in what is described by Princeton as retirement, while activists call it a dismissal following sustained campaign pressures.
Mousavian’s 15-year tenure at Princeton University ended on June 1, according to an "employee retirements" statement by the university dated June 4.
However, the nonprofit organization Alliance Against Islamic Regime of Iran Apologists (AAIRIA) says his departure was a result of its two-year campaign aimed at exposing his alleged ties to the Islamic Republic and widespread calls for his dismissal.
In a press release on Saturday, AAIRIA said it organized multiple events, press conferences, and engaged with US legislative bodies to highlight concerns about Mousavian’s background, accusing him of supporting terrorism and anti-Israel propaganda.
The group also called for his deportation and prosecution based on alleged involvement in historical assassinations linked to the Islamic Republic.
AAIRIA describes itself as "a group of former political prisoners in Iran, families of executed political prisoners, human rights activists who seek justice and accountability, and international jurists who have examined the record of the Islamic Republic of Iran’s gross human rights abuses."
Princeton University did not respond to Iran International's request for comment.
On August 10, Mousavian said in a post on his X account he retired at his own request.
"After 15 years of service at Princeton University, I retired at my own request at the end of May 2025. I am deeply grateful to the university officials for their support and especially for their commitment to 'freedom of expression."
Mousavian served as a Middle East security and nuclear policy specialist in Princeton's Program on Science and Global Security.
Mousavian was ambassador to Germany when Bonn-based Iranian exile Fereydoun Farrokhzad, a singer and outspoken critic of the Islamic Republic, was murdered in 1992 apparently by agents of the Islamic Republic.
A veteran Iranian commander in March detailed the state's role in his killing, in remarks Mousavian said left him "stunned, amazed, and shocked."
In 2023, several top Republicans, including House Oversight Committee Chairman James Comer of Kentucky and now-DOGE Caucus chairman Aaron Bean of Florida, wrote to Princeton with their concerns about Mousavian's tenure.
Several Republican lawmakers wrote an open letter to Princeton in 2023 expressing their concerns over Mousavian's employment.
"A German court found (the Iranian embassy in Germany) served as the headquarters for the planning of the 1992 assassination of four Iranian dissidents," the letter said, referring to the 1994 assassination of four Iranian-Kurdish dissidents in a Berlin restaurant.
"Did Princeton consult with US government officials regarding the hiring of Mousavian?"
