Kamal Ghorui
Several children of senior Iranian officials are studying and working at top universities in the United States, even as the war Iran and the US and Iran rages on. According to a report by the New York Post, relatives of powerful figures within the Islamic Republic are enrolled or employed at prestigious institutions such as the University of Massachusetts, Union College and George Washington University.Analysts and critics argue this reflects a wider pattern among Iran’s elite, often referred to domestically as “Aghzadehs” or “noble-born”, who benefit from Western opportunities while their families maintain hardline policies at home.
Experts estimate that between 4,000 and 5,000 relatives of Iranian officials may be living in the US, with many more in countries like Canada and Australia. Critics argue that distinctions between “reformists” and “hardliners” within Iran’s system are often overstated, describing power as concentrated within interconnected elite families.Among those identified in the New York Post report are:
- Leila Khatami – mathematics professor at Union College
- Fatemeh Ardeshir-Larijani – former physician at Emory University’s Winship Institute
- Eissa Hashemi – professor in Los Angeles
- Zahra Mohaghegh Damad – faculty at University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign
- Zeinab Hajjarian – biomedical engineering professor at University of Massachusetts Lowell
- Ehsan Nobakht – associate professor at George Washington University
War in Middle East rages on
US President Donald Trump has warned that Iran’s vital South Pars gas field could be destroyed if further attacks are launched against Qatar’s main gas facility. Writing on Truth Social, he confirmed Israel had struck the field but insisted Washington “knew nothing” about the operation, which Iran blamed before retaliating against Qatar’s Ras Laffan hub. Qatari authorities reported extensive damage to several LNG facilities, while missile debris also forced the UAE to shut a gas site and ignited a vessel near the Strait of Hormuz.French President Emmanuel Macron called for an immediate halt to strikes on civilian infrastructure, particularly energy and water facilities. Meanwhile, Iraq’s Kataeb Hezbollah announced a temporary suspension of attacks on the US embassy, contingent on Israeli restraint in the region.Violence continues to mount, with one person killed near Tel Aviv and three Palestinian women killed in the West Bank by falling debris — the first reported Palestinian fatalities in the conflict.Iran’s Revolutionary Guards warned Gulf states their energy industries could be “completely destroyed” if attacks persist. Qatar has expelled Iranian military officials, while Israel pledged to continue targeting senior Iranian figures. Iran’s supreme leader Mojtaba Khamenei also vowed retaliation, declaring those responsible “will have to pay”.
