Iranian Professor Proposes Recruiting US Students for Hezbollah-Style Proxy Group

Foad Izadi, a professor at the University of Tehran, has suggested that Iran could form a Hezbollah-style proxy group in the United States by recruiting pro-Palestinian students protesting at American universities. In an interview with Iranian state television, Izadi referred to the protesters as "our people" and claimed that Iran's potential to establish such a group in the US is "much higher" than what it achieved in Lebanon.

Why this matters: The proposal raises concerns about Iran's intentions to influence and potentially destabilize the US, and highlights the growing polarization of American campus, protests on the Israeli-Palestinian conflict. If successful, such a proxy group could have far-reaching implications for regional security and US foreign policy.

"These are our people," Izadi stated. "If tensions between America and Iran arise tomorrow or the day after, these are the people who will have to take to the streets to support Iran." He further asserted, "Personally, I think that the potential to repeat in the US what Iran did in Lebanon is much higher. Our Hezbollah-style groups in America are much larger than what we have in Lebanon."

The pro-Palestinian student protests have spread to over 200 universities across the United States. Iranian state media has provided extensive coverage of the demonstrations, airing live footage and reporting on arrests and police crackdowns. Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei has voiced support for the protests, emphasizing the importance of continued demonstrations against Israel.

The attention given to the US protests by Iranian media stands in sharp contrast to its limited coverage of the mass demonstrations that erupted in Iran following the death of Mahsa Amini in 2022. Those protests resulted in over 500 deaths and 22,000 detentions but received far less airtime on state television. The hard-line Iranian newspaper Kayhan has even used the US student protests to discredit a BBC report alleging that Iranian security services sexually assaulted and killed a 16-year-old girl during the Amini demonstrations.

In Israel, the pro-Palestinian protests have raised concerns about a shift in public opinion against the Jewish state. Some Israeli commentators have dismissed the demonstrations as anti-Semitic, while others have called on Israel to open its doors to Jewish academics and students who feel unsafe on American campuses. Peretz Lavie, professor emeritus and former president at Technion, the Israel Institute of Technology, stated, "When antisemitic demonstrations calling for the destruction of Israel are raging on campuses around the world, the Council for Higher Education must make a decision to encourage academic institutions in Israel to proactively absorb Jewish students from abroad."

The protests have also attracted attention in the Middle East, with state media in countries such as Saudi Arabia, the United Arab Emirates, and Afghanistan covering the demonstrations and expressing support for the Palestinian cause. Rafia Zakaria, a lawyer and writer for Pakistan's Dawn newspaper, commented,"For a long time, US foreign policy prided itself on its ruthless realpolitik... Now a younger generation is calling into question the blatant hypocrisy that has been visible to the rest of the world for decades."

Pro-Palestinian protests continuing to unfold on US campuses, Izadi's suggestion of forming a Hezbollah-style proxy group in the US has raised concerns about Iran's intentions and the possibility of further escalation. The international community will be closely monitoring developments and assessing the impact of these demonstrations on regional stability and global public opinion. Zakaria's observation that a "younger generation is calling into question the blatant hypocrisy" of US foreign policy highlights the potential for these protests to shape the future of US-Middle East relations.

Key Takeaways

• Iranian professor suggests forming Hezbollah-style proxy group in the US.
• Group would recruit pro-Palestinian students protesting on American campuses.
• Iranian state media has provided extensive coverage of the US protests.
• Protests have raised concerns about a shift in public opinion against Israel.
• International community is monitoring developments for impact on regional stability.