Protests Against the 'Incredible' Appointment of Ali Akbar Salehi as Head of the Iranology Foundation

The Iranology Association of Tehran University has issued an open letter to Ali Akbar Salehi, the former foreign minister and previous head of Iran's Atomic Energy Organization, who has recently been appointed as the head of the Iranology Foundation. The spokesperson for the government described his appointment as 'a valuable step in the path of understanding and expanding the culture, history, and civilization of Iran.' In the critical letter published on Thursday, March 7, it states that 'historians, archaeologists, literati, linguists, philosophers, cultural researchers, and all those who care for the country, who have devoted their lives to the history and culture of Iran, have yet to believe your acceptance of this position.' The signatories explicitly asked Salehi, 'In which of these specialties and scientific groups do you fit that you have accepted such a position?' The Iranology Association of Tehran University also expressed 'certainty' that the government of Masoud Pezeshkian is 'indifferent and unwilling' towards Iran's national heritage and identity, but it was not expected that Salehi, as a diplomat and specialist in nuclear physics, would 'step into such a trap.' The association, recalling the 'wave of surprise and visible and hidden protests' against Salehi's appointment as head of the Iranology Foundation, urged him to 'say no to this 'wrong appointment' before he faces the cultural figures of Iran and 'feels shame.' The letter emphasized that Salehi's establishment in the Iranology Foundation 'is not his place' and that this foundation 'should be a refuge for Iranologists in various fields, not a resting place for retirement or a waiting room for obtaining later positions.' Prior to this letter, several social media users and some cultural activists expressed surprise at this appointment, stating they did not expect Ali Akbar Salehi, as a 'seasoned' and 'educated' diplomat, to accept such a responsibility. Some criticisms also included the notion that in Iran, no one is in 'the right place,' and Salehi's appointment, despite his expertise in diplomacy and nuclear physics, falls under this issue. Ali Akbar Salehi, born in 1949 in Karbala, Iraq, served as the Vice President and head of the Atomic Energy Organization of Iran from 2009 to 2010 and from 2013 to 2021 in the 11th and 12th governments. He was also the foreign minister of Iran from 2009 to 2013. Salehi is a graduate of the American University of Beirut and the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) in nuclear physics and nuclear engineering and is currently an energy engineering instructor at Sharif University of Technology. The Iranology Foundation is a scientific and research institution established in 1997 under the auspices of the Iranian presidency with the aim of studying and researching issues related to Iranian culture and civilization. The first head of the Iranology Foundation was Hassan Habibi, appointed by Mohammad Khatami, who held the position until his death in 2012. After that, Mohammad Khamenei, the brother of the Supreme Leader, was appointed to the presidency by Mahmoud Ahmadinejad. The presidency of the Iranology Foundation was then transferred to Mohammad Hossein Rajabi Davani, an Islamic history researcher and faculty member of Imam Hussein University, until now when Ali Akbar Salehi has been appointed by Masoud Pezeshkian.