Unexpected Imprisonment of Prominent Iranian Professor in the U.S.

According to Rokna, Vali Nasr, a professor at Johns Hopkins University, announced on Monday night that Vahid Abedini, an assistant professor of Iranian Studies at the University of Oklahoma, has been detained by U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) and transferred to prison.

Vali Nasr wrote on the X social media platform that Abedini, an assistant professor at the Boren College of International Studies at the University of Oklahoma, was arrested by U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement while traveling to attend the Middle East Studies Association conference in Washington, D.C.

Joshua Landis, director of the Middle East Studies program and head of the Iran Studies Center at the University of Oklahoma, also wrote on X: “Vahid Abedini, our beloved professor, has been detained by U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement.”

He added: “Dr. Abedini was detained on November 22 while boarding a plane to attend the Middle East Studies Association conference in Washington, D.C., and was sent to prison.”

Landis noted: “He has been unjustly detained as he holds a valid H-1B visa, which is a non-immigrant work visa granted to individuals in ‘special occupations,’ including senior academic positions. We pray for his immediate release.”

Ensaf News also reported that Dr. Vahid Abedini, a native of Najafabad, Isfahan, is a familiar figure in the student circles of the 1980s at the University of Tehran and has over two decades of experience in research, teaching, and work in the fields of foreign policy, political engagement, and the study of political elites.

Abedini graduated from the Faculty of Political Science at the University of Tehran. During his student years, he was a member of the Islamic Association of University of Tehran students and was active in the Diplomatic Iranian News Network. His work has been visible in numerous political campaigns in recent years, and he has worked devotedly and compassionately for Iran.

He continued his doctoral studies at Florida International University, and his dissertation, titled “The New Generation of Political Elites in Iran: Development, Evolution, and Future Paths,” won the Best Dissertation Award at the university’s Political Science Department.

Over the past years, he has taught in the fields of comparative politics, foreign policy, and political economy, and recently joined the faculty at the University of Oklahoma. His writings and analyses have been published in reputable Iranian media outlets, including Jamaran, Shargh, Ensaf, IRNA, and Agahi.

He is currently in prison awaiting the review process of his case.