Iran Offers Scholarship to Expelled Protestors

(RepublicanPress.org) – University students all across America have been protesting the war in the Gaza Strip, calling the conflict not a war but a genocide perpetrated by the Israeli government’s military. Since Hamas attacked and killed around 1,200 Israeli citizens in October 2023, over 34,000 Palestinians in the Gaza Strip have been killed. As a result of the protests, some students have been suspended, and others are facing expulsion.

On May 1, PressTV, an Iranian propaganda outlet, claimed the head of Shiraz University, Mohammad Moazzeni, announced he could help those American students facing expulsion. He reportedly called out to them and “professors who have been expelled or threatened with expulsion” to finish out their studies at Shiraz University in Iran.

Moazzeni reportedly said other universities in Shiraz and the surrounding areas would likely extend the same offer. He claimed that US authorities were “exert[ing] a lot of violence” to silence the movement, indicating he didn’t agree with the actions.

While hundreds of young people across the United States have been removed, detained, or arrested from college campuses during their protests, it’s unclear how many have actually been expelled. The demonstrations seem far from over, meaning there will likely be more trouble for some students going forward, and it’s unclear how that will affect their future.

The US Department of State’s Bureau of Consular Affairs has a travel advisory for Iran, designating the country as a Level 4 area — “Do not travel.” The department stated that Americans should not travel to Iran for any reason due to civil unrest, kidnapping, terrorism, and arbitrary arrest of US citizens.

The advisory notes that the federal government doesn’t have diplomatic relations with the Republic of Iran and couldn’t provide any emergency assistance to those who choose to travel there.

Whether any students or faculty members would decide to accept the offer remains unclear but somewhat doubtful, considering Iran’s record on human rights abuses.

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