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This association with proponents of the Islamic Republic has drawn sharp criticism from Iranian-American human rights activists, who argue it betrays Baskerville's legacy of championing democratic ideals.

The Institute is dedicated to the memory of Howard Baskerville, who died supporting Iran's Constitutional Revolution in 1909.

In early May 2024, the Institute sponsored a conference at the Hilton Garden Inn Chavchavadze, titled "Building Bridges in a Divided World: Diplomacy of the Heart through Dialogue and Understanding" without publicizing it.

Yet, when journalist Karman Malekpour attended the conference, he witnessed a talk from Ahmad Shakernejad, the executive director of the Islamic Sciences and Culture Academy in Iran.

Shakernejad has a track record of praising Soleimani, who was responsible for the murders of over 600 American military personnel, according to the US government. Soleimani, the commander of the Quds Force of the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC), was killed on January 3, 2020, in a targeted US drone strike near Baghdad International Airport in Iraq.

During his speech, Shakernejad also passionately praised the Islamic Republic’s Supreme Leader, Ali Khamenei, speaking in glowing and highly complimentary terms.

In 2023, the Iranian state-controlled Islamic Science and Culture Research Institute announced on its website that Shakernejad’s article, "Shahid Soleimani School and Heroic Spirituality in Religions," had won “first place in the first international conference of Shahid Soleimani School.” The article praised Soleimani, reflecting on his spiritual and heroic qualities within religious contexts.

That pro-Soleimani conference took place on February 3 in Tehran, chaired by Ali Akbar Velayati, an advisor to Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei. Velayati, a former Iranian foreign minister, is on Interpol’s wanted list for his alleged involvement in the 1994 bombing of the AMIA Jewish center in Buenos Aires.

There, Velayati emphasized the crucial role of scholars and experts in promoting and elaborating on Soleimani's school of thought.

According to the program of the Baskerville conference in Tbilisi obtained by Iran International, Shakernejad spoke on the topic “Spiritual Consolation before Religious Diplomacy: Finding a Way out of the War Crisis in the Middle East.”

A second Iranian participant at the Tbilisi conference, Zahra Kamali Dehghan, president of the Mehrasa organization, promoted Khamenei’s directives in the conflict against Israel.

According to a report by Iranian state-controlled Mehr News in March, Kamali stated, “About a year ago, with the goal of popularizing and attracting public participation in defending Palestine, we wrote a letter to Palestinian mothers, asking them to continue their struggle against the Zionist regime.”

“Since the Supreme Leader emphasized the continuation of intermediate movements, we decided to continue the people's connections as a prerequisite for a unified movement,” she added.

Lawdan Bazargan, the Iranian-American human rights activist who heads the Alliance Against Islamic regime of Iran Apologists (AAIRIA), told Iran International, “It’s ironic that with guests such as Ahmad Shakernejad, who praises mass murderers like Qasem Soleimani, the Baskerville Institute called this conference ‘Building Bridges in a Divided World.’”

“Instead of hosting conferences, this Iranian institute, with close ties to the Islamic regime of Iran, should urge this brutal regime to stop arming terrorist groups like Hamas, Hezbollah, and the Houthis and to cease the violent transnational repression of Iranians who are standing up against the gender apartheid Islamic government of Iran. The true path to bridging divides starts with ceasing these criminal and illegal activities,” Bazargan said.

Observers and activists have also accused Baskerville of pursuing a political direction mirroring that of the National Iranian American Council (NIAC), which promotes engagement with the Islamic Republic’s rulers.

Iran International reached out to Bahman Baktiari, the Executive Director of the Baskerville Institute, who made extensive efforts to bring the Iranian delegation to the event, including personally meeting them at the Tbilisi airport, according to Malekpour who was present at the airport and has photographic evidence.

Communicating on WhatsApp, Baktiari said, “The Tbilisi conference was an interfaith conference, a friendship between religions, and had no political agenda. The presence of university professors from Tehran does not mean it was political.”

“The conference was about interfaith friendship, and professors from all regional countries were present,” Baktiari added, claiming, “We have nothing to hide.”

When asked whether he considers Soleimani a terrorist and whether Baskerville secured approval for the conference from the US State Department, Baktiari did not return follow-up WhatsApp calls, messages, or emails from Iran International.

Delara Hosseini, the Project Manager at the Baskerville Institute, also did not return phone calls or emails from Iran International.

According to the conference brochure, the following Iranians attended the event: Muhammad Taghi Eslami, Director of Ethics Research at the Islamic Sciences and Culture Academy (ISCA); Ayatollah Alavi Borujerdi; Ariobarzan Mohammadi from the University of Tehran; Mehdi F. Mehrabani from the University of Tehran; and Ashkan Taghipour, CEO of Nikgamam Jamshid Charity (Tehran), a sister organization of the US-based Moms Against Poverty.

In addition to Baskerville, the conference program listed the following organizations as sponsors: the US-based Stirling Foundation, the Foundation for Religious Diplomacy, the Utah Muslim Civic League, the Arab Center for Research and Policy Studies in Doha, Qatar, and the International Center for Law and Religion at Brigham Young University.

Iran International approached the sponsors of the Baskerville event for statements, but did not receive responses in time for publication.

"Some Iranian institutions, like the Baskerville Institute and Qatari centers, such as The Arab Center for Research and Policy Studies, use ‘cultural relativism’ as an excuse to exercise power and further their agenda of spreading Islam around the globe. It is ironic that these organizations, connected to the Islamic regime of Iran and the Qatari government, two of the least tolerant governments in the world, organize conferences titled ‘Building Bridges in a Divided World," Bazargan said.

Baktiari and the Institute he heads have also faced fierce criticism from Iranian-Americans for hosting the now-suspended Oberlin College professor, Mohammad Jafar Mahallati, as part of Baskerville 2021 podcast session.

Baktiari ignored the appeals of Iranian dissidents to cancel the event featuring the Iranian government's former UN ambassador, Mahallati, despite Amnesty International's charges against him. Amnesty International accused Mahallati of covering up "crimes against humanity" in Iran, referring to the clerical regime's execution of at least 5,000 Iranian dissidents in 1988, which Mahallati allegedly whitewashed at the UN.

According to the Salt Lake Tribune, the University of Utah dismissed Bakhtiari, in 2011, from his post as a political scientist because a faculty panel assessed a “pattern of plagiarism” in his work.

Elika Eftekhari, a member of the US-based Alliance for Human Rights and Democracy in Iran, told Iran International, “One of the common misunderstandings that takes place with respect to Westerners involves the participation of the Islamic regime or its proxies in international conferences and various forums. In particular, nonprofit organizations, NGOs, and academics are often drawn to the belief that exposure can ameliorate extremism.”

She added, “However, the Islamic regime has proven for over 40 years that its ideology of oppression and gender apartheid remains consistent. Therefore, inviting, legitimizing, or equating the Islamic Republic with other nations facilitates more harm than good, by helping the Islamic regime maintain two faces and obscure its severe internal oppression.”

Elizabeth A. Clark from BYU’s International Center for Law and Religion was listed as a speaker at the Tbilisi conference. Clark reportedly invited Blume and refused to answer press queries from Iran International.

The Utah-based International Center for Law and Religion (Brigham Young University) was embroiled in a scandal last year for hosting a reportedly anti-Iran racist German official, Michael Blume, who termed Iranian dissidents opposed to Iran's regime "corrupt exiled nationalists." Blume is also considered antisemitic, according to two German court rulings.

BYU’s spokeswoman, Carri Jenkins, also declined to comment.

Iranian-American professor Najmedin Meshkati, from the University of Southern California’s Department of Civil/Environmental Engineering, was also listed as a speaker. He told Iran International, that he “was invited but did not attend the conference.”

According to the conference program, participants from the following countries attended: Afghanistan, Uzbekistan, the Islamic Republic of Iran, Georgia, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Pakistan, Qatar, Tajikistan, and the United States.

“The Supreme Leader decided on this operation that was unprecedented in the 78-year history of the Zionist regime. No leader or country had ever dared to do so; launching hundreds of missiles and drones at Israel is no joke,” General Yahya Rahim Safavi said on Thursday.

Described as "Operation True Promise" by Tehran, the air strike employing over 350 drones and missiles marked Iran's first direct assault on Israeli territory. According to the Israeli military, 99% of the projectiles were intercepted with the assistance of a coalition led by the US.

The raid was a response to what Iran said was an Israeli attack on its consulate in Damascus, which resulted in the death of seven officers of the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps, including a senior commander.

Observers noted that the successful interception of the missiles and drones represented a significant defensive victory for Israel, casting doubt on Iran's aggressive tactics.

Despite this, Iranian officials continue to depict the attack as a military success, leveraging state media and public statements to emphasize their military capabilities and project power against adversaries as the shadow war with Iran’s archenemy reached a historic climax.

In fact, Safavi's claim that Iran's attack represented an unprecedented operation, armies of three Arab countries launched a massive land and air assault on Israel in October 1973, involving hundreds of thousands of troops and close to 1,000 warplanes.

On Tuesday, Iran's Acting Foreign Minister, Ali Bagheri-Kani, commended the purported new foreign policy direction under President-elect Masoud Pezeshkian while resolutely defending Tehran's support for regional proxy groups.

Iranian authorities remain unwilling to retreat from the cornerstones of their current foreign policy—namely, funding and supporting militia groups, advancing the nuclear program, and antagonizing Israel—while simultaneously attempting to present Pezeshkian as embodying a new approach.

Thus far, the incoming president has pledged to adhere to the strategies and objectives outlined by Iran's Supreme Leader, Ali Khamenei, who has consistently advocated defiance against the West.

Pezeshkian's actions have been in alignment with this directive. One of his first diplomatic moves being his public endorsement of Iran’s proxy militias, seen as a clear demonstration of his political allegiance. Nonetheless, some Western media continue to portray him as different from other Islamic Republic officials.

On Tuesday, The New York Times published a report claiming that Pezeshkian "has portrayed himself as a modern leader for a new era," thereby depicting him in a more progressive light despite his actions.

In an op-ed in the Tehran Times meanwhile, Pezeshkian stated his commitment to Khamenei's "Look to the East" policy, emphasizing reliance on fellow pariah states, Russia and China, as Iran's main partners.

However, the NYT article focused on him being "open" to relations with the rest of the world and failed to mention his unwavering stance against Israel, which has drawn significant opposition from Western countries. Nor did it address his continued support for militia groups that destabilize the region.

One after another, Republican members of Congress and several former officials and diplomats took aim at the Biden administration’s approach to China, Russia, and Iran, arguing that the Democrats’ policies since 2021 have made the US unsafe and weakened its position on the global stage.

Walking out to long applause, Newt Gingrich, the high-profile former Speaker of the House, lent his support, speaking of Trump’s understanding of global dangers and anti-US forces. He emphasized the need for "peace through strength," and contrasted what he says are Trump's realistic policies as opposed to Biden's weaknesses and appeasement.

Gingrich specifically warned about Iran, describing it as a religious dictatorship chanting "death to America" and nearing nuclear capability. He argued that Biden's policies have failed to address this and other threats, whereas he deemed Trump's firm approach necessary to ensure strength and peace in a “dangerous world.”

Former White House official and 2016 Trump campaign manager Kellyanne Conway also spoke in Milwaukee touting Trump's achievements such as taking out ISIS leaders al-Baghdadi and the Iranian Islamic Revolutionary Guards’ notorious military commander Qassem Soleimani and ending the ISIS caliphate.

Conway argued that "weakness emboldens adversaries," underscoring the importance of Trump's strong stance on national security and foreign policy. Addressing those who claim they want Trump's policies without his personality, Conway remarked, "Good luck with that. We don’t get those policies without that personality."

On the point of appeasing Iran, the Biden administration has often countered the accusations by listing what it calls robust sanctions against hundreds of Iranian entities and individuals aimed at curbing Iran’s military capabilities and support for terrorism.

J.D. Vance took to the stage, and officially accepted the nomination as Trump’s VP, with his speech primarily focused on his challenging upbringing in Ohio, his military service, and the economy. Vance criticized Biden’s policies, arguing they lead to the US being flooded with “cheap Chinese goods.”

Vance also highlighted what he saw as a failure of President Biden, from open borders to stagnating wages, and insisted allies must share the burden of securing world peace. Trump’s running-mate concluded, "Together, we will send our kids to war only when we must. But as President Trump showed with the elimination of ISIS and so much more, when we punch, we're going to punch hard."

Former Acting Director of National Intelligence Richard Grenell’s speech criticized what he called “years of neglecting US priorities”.

"We spent too many years ignoring US priorities, when Washington stopped being the capital of the US and started being the capital of the world." He highlighted that under Trump, historic peace deals were signed in the Middle East, namely the Abraham Accords, and that Iran was economically weakened, and China was challenged.

Grenell also noted there were no new wars and old wars ended. In contrast, under Biden, Russia invaded Ukraine, the Taliban regained power, ISIS members slipped through the southern border, China bullied its neighbors, and Iran waged war in Israel and Gaza with Biden’s help.

Democrats however, have often argued that Trump’s “maximum pressure” policy on Tehran during his time as President backfired by pushing Iran to ramp up its nuclear program and increasing regional instability. Rather than bringing Iran back to the negotiating table, after Trump exited the Iran nuclear deal, they claim the approach led to heightened tensions and more frequent attacks on US troops by Iranian-backed groups in the Middle East​.

Additionally, $16 billion in frozen funds were released to Iran under the Biden administration for reported humanitarian purposes like food and medicine, as critics argue that this indirectly supports Iran's military and proxy activities by freeing up other resources.

Yet, Republicans say that the Biden administration’s inadequate enforcement of sanctions has pushed Iran's oil sales to soar significantly. Since Biden took office, Iran's oil exports have risen from around 300,000 barrels per day to 1.5 million barrels per day, primarily due to increased sales to China. This increase in oil sales has generated approximately $80 billion for Iran, providing substantial financial resources to support its military and proxy groups across the Middle East, including Hamas and Hezbollah.

Another member of Congress, Nancy Mace, from South Carolina warned that China, which is watching America closely, supports enemy states like Iran which oppresses its own people -- in particular its women.

Michael Waltz, the Congressman from Florida, praised Trump's tenure, stating, "Under Trump, we had a president who defeated ISIS, broke Iran, stood with Israel, always stood with our allies, made China pay… you didn’t see any spy balloons under President Trump, did you? He deterred Russia."

Waltz further criticized the current administration’s focus on other issues, saying, "What do we have today… he's focused on pronouns and renaming bases."

Dr. Ronny Jackson, a congressman from Texas, Navy veteran, and former combat physician in Iraq, also spoke. As Donald Trump’s physician, Jackson criticized President Biden’s leadership, stating, "China, Russia, North Korea, and Iran do not respect Joe Biden’s 10am - 4pm schedule."

He argued, "There is simply too much at stake for someone who can barely shuffle to the podium. For the security of the country, every second Biden stays in the White House, the country becomes less safe." Jackson asserted that under Trump, America will restore its standing on the world stage.

Several military veterans also sharply criticized Biden’s withdrawal from Afghanistan, with one veteran calling it a "moral injury" and describing it as a "dark chapter" in American history. They emphasized the chaos and harm caused by the withdrawal, highlighting its negative impact on both the military and the nation’s global standing.

The council for transition formed to search and propose ministerial candidates is a new phenomenon in Iranian politics, apparently designed to show the public that President-elect Masoud Pezeshkian wants to remain true to his campaign promise of using experts to address critical issues.

At the same time, Zarif announced in a July 17 tweet on the social media platform X that committee members may not contact their nominees for the cabinet anywhere outside the committees' official meetings. If they do contact the nominees directly, that would be tantamount to the committee member's resignation.

The initial list of 16 members of the main strategic committee consists of 16 ‘reformist’ figures including Zarif himself, former Government Spokesman Ali Rabiei, Pezeshkian's campaign manager Ali Abdolalizadeh, reformist academics Hadi Khaniki and Mohsen Renani, former Minister of Economy Ali Tayyebnia, former Culture Minister Reza Salehi Amiri and former Reformist lawmakers Ali Tajernia and Ali Shakouri-Rad.

A more comprehensive list released later includes 25 members of the main committee with 3 women on board and the addition of Former ITC Minister Mohammad Javad Azari Jahromi, former Central bank Governor Abdoh Tabrizi and former presidential aide Shahindokht Molaverdi among others.

The committee members will lead their own subcommittees to determine various ministers. Each subcommittee, comprising up to 25 members, is tasked with nominating between 3 to 5 potential cabinet ministers. In total, hundreds of individuals will be involved in selecting candidates. Nonetheless, Pezeshkian’s aides have been criticized for including a very limited number of women in these committees. There is only one woman, a librarian, in the main committee. Another criticism is that nearly all of the members of all committees and subcommittees come from the reformist camp.

According to Zarif's tweet, if any committee or subcommittee member is nominated for a ministerial post, should immediately step down as member and should be immediately replaced by a new member.

The nominees will be introduced to Pezeshkian, who will make the final choice for his cabinet ministers. However, there are many exceptions to these rules. For instance, traditionally up to six of the cabinet ministers are directly appointed by Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei, although this is not stipulated by law. These ministers include those of Defense, Intelligence, Interior, Culture, Oil, and Foreign Affairs.

However, according to Iranian Constitutional Law, the President is responsible for appointing all 19 cabinet ministers and several vice presidents. However, political observers, including Iran analyst Mehdi Khalaji, note that only President Akbar Rafsanjani was able to independently appoint all his cabinet ministers during his first term in office.

Regardless of how many ministers are directly chosen by Khamenei, the President gives the full list to him for his review before giving the names to the parliament (Majles) for its vote of confidence to the ministers.

According to the main function of the committees is to convince the majority who did not take part in the elections that the ministers will be chosen in a more or less democratic process and although the President represents a small number of eligible voters, his cabinet will be more representative. Khalaji however added that even many reformists are not represented in the committees. Those who are, are exactly the same groups that supported Pezeshkian in the election.

Meanwhile, reformist cleric Rahmatollah Bigdeli who is close to Pezeshkian has said that no committee member should be nominated for any post in the government to avoid conflict of interest.

The attack occurred at the Sufi lodge of Sheikh Azad in Saqqez on Wednesday night, resulting in the deaths of two men identified only by their first names, Peyman and Parviz.

The head of the Kordestan (Kurdistan) Province Judiciary stated that the attackers have been identified, and a judicial case has been filed. "Efforts are currently underway to apprehend them," Hossein Hosseini said.

Although Sufism, a mystical branch of Islam, is not illegal in Iran, rights groups accuse the Iranian government of systematic harassment and discrimination against its followers, including the Gonabadis, one of the largest Sufi sects. While the Gonabadi Dervishes identify as Shi'a Muslims, Iran’s Supreme Leader and other influential figures dismiss their beliefs as “false mysticism.” As a result, Amnesty International says Gonabadi Dervishes have been subjected to systematic discrimination and harassment, in spite of the sect not being deemed illegal as other minority religions are under the Islamic Republic.

The rights group has seen cases of arbitrary arrests and detentions, imprisonment, flogging sentences, and attacks on the group's sacred sites.

While the Abrahamic faiths, Islam, Judaism and Christianity, are legal under the Islamic Republic, according to the latest International Religious Freedom report by the US Department of State, Iran has persistently oppressed Sufis, extending its campaign of repression even to members of the community living abroad.