U.S. military leaders earlier this month hosted a former top Iranian official who came under fire last year for bragging about the hardline regime’s efforts to assassinate American leaders.
U.S. Strategic Command (STRATCOM) tapped Hussein Mousavian, a former member of Iran’s nuclear negotiating team who works as a Middle East security and nuclear policy specialist at Princeton University, to headline its 2023 Deterrence Symposium, a high-level powwow that brought the former Iranian official shoulder-to-shoulder with America’s top military brass.
Mousavian’s appearance at the mid-August gathering, which came to light on Monday after STRATCOM posted a video of the event, drew criticism from former U.S. officials and veteran Iran analysts who questioned why America’s premier military outfit would host someone who maintains close ties to the Islamic Republic.
In his remarks, Mousavian thanked Gen. Anthony Cotton for inviting him to the event and said he would present an "Iranian perspective" on the current threat landscape within the Middle East.
"I’m afraid you may not like it, but I think it’s important to know the other side," Mousavian said, adding that the United States must "rewrite their policy in the Middle East."
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