Mohammad Marandi


Seyed Mohammad Marandi is an American-Iranian academic, intellectual and political analyst. He is closely linked to the Iranian government. Iran International describes him as a "mouthpiece" of the Iranian government. He is described on his website as a "prominent Iranian defender of the Islamic revolution".
He was born in Richmond, Virginia, United States to Alireza Marandi, later the doctor of the second supreme leader of the Islamic Republic of Iran, Ali Khamenei. Mohammad Marandi moved to Iran at the age of 13 when he volunteered to fight in the Iran–Iraq War against President Saddam Hussein's regime. Marandi later studied at Birmingham University, England. He currently serves as a professor at the University of Tehran.

Early life and education

Seyed Mohammad Marandi was born on 14 May 1966 in Richmond, Virginia. He is the son of Alireza Marandi, who would later become Iran's Health Minister and doctor of the Iranian supreme leader Ali Khamenei. Mohammad Marandi spent the first 13 years of his life in the United States. Following his move to Iran, he volunteered to fight in the Iran–Iraq War and survived two Iraqi chemical weapons attacks.
Marandi is a graduate of the University of Tehran and Birmingham University, where his PhD thesis was entitled "Lord Byron, his critics and Orientalism", described as a "response to Edward Said's Orientalism".

Career

Marandi was the head of the North American Studies program at the University of Tehran; he is currently a professor of English Literature and Orientalism at the university.
Marandi has appeared as a political and social commentator on international news networks such as Channel 4, Sky News, PBS, ABC, CGTN, CNN, BBC, Al Jazeera, and RT. He has also contributed opinion pieces to publications such as Al Jazeera, Middle East Eye, and Tehran Times.
He is an adviser to the Iranian nuclear negotiations team in Vienna. Marandi has close links to the Iranian government. Iran International describes him as a "mouthpiece" of the Iranian government.

Views

Following the 2022 stabbing of Salman Rushdie, Marandi wrote
Marandi's statement referred to the United States Department of Justice's allegation that Iran had planned to assassinate US national security advisor John Bolton in 2020.
Marandi has been noted for not being overly concerned about UN resolutions against Iran. According to a tweet by the Twitter account of reformist daily Shargh posted on 28 December 2021, Marandi stated that
In 2021, Marandi was accused of making anti-Semitic remarks during a interview with the BBC, which it was criticized for allowing, and which its director later apologized for. Comments by Marandi included accusing Israel of being a "ethno-supremacist" state that is committing a "holocaust" in the Gaza Strip.
British historian and BBC presenter Simon Schama called the BBC "profoundly and appallingly offensive" for allowing Mr Marandi to present his "anti-Semitic abuse about "chosen people", "holocaust" in Lebanon etc without challenge".

Written works

  • "Oppressors and Oppressed Reconsidered: A Shi‘itologic Perspective on the Islamic Republic of Iran and Hezbollah’s Outlook on International Relations" in Islam and International Relations: Contributions to Theory and Practice, Springer, 2015, pp. 50–71.
  • "The Khamenei Doctrine: Iran's Leader on Diplomacy, Foreign Policy and International Relations" in Islam in International Relations: Politics and Paradigms, Routledge, 2018, pp. 18–38.