A former Boston University professor has been arrested and charged with “acting and conspiring to act as an unregistered agent of the Government of the Islamic Republic of Iran,” according to the U.S. Department of Justice.
“For over a decade, Kaveh Afrasiabi pitched himself to Congress, journalists, and the American public as a neutral and objective expert on Iran,” said John Demers, Assistant Attorney General for National Security, in a statement following the arrest.
“However, all the while, Afrasiabi was actually a secret employee of the Government of Iran and the Permanent Mission of the Islamic Republic of Iran to the United Nations (IMUN) who was being paid to spread their propaganda,” Demers said, adding, “In doing so, he intentionally avoided registering with the Department of Justice as the Foreign Agents Registration Act required.”