An expert in Iranian studies from a prestigious Ivy League institution has criticized Israel’s purported involvement in the escalating protests across Iran, where the authoritarian government is fiercely clamping down on dissent.

“The current unrest is incited by Israel, with Mossad operatives blending in with Iranian protestors on the streets of Tehran,” stated Hamid Dabashi, a professor at Columbia University, during an Al Jazeera interview.

Dabashi cited a recent post on X by former CIA chief Mike Pompeo, who alluded to the presence of Mossad agents amidst the demonstrators.

Hamid Dabashi of Columbia University presents a lecture at the University of California, Davis on October 28, 2014. (University of California, Davis)

In a January 2nd post, Pompeo commented, “The Iranian regime is faltering. Utilizing mercenaries seems to be its last viable strategy. With riots erupting in numerous cities and the Basij forces under attack — in Mashhad, Tehran, Zahedan, and potentially Baluchistan next. After 47 years of this regime, and with POTUS 47 on the horizon, is this merely a coincidence? A Happy New Year to everyone in the streets of Iran, including the Mossad agents marching alongside them…”

“In addition, over the last few days we have seen Israeli flags in Tehran among the protesters,” said Dabashi. “What is the Israeli flag doing in Iran?”

“So, when we study — when we look at the events unfolding in Iran, we have to be very careful making a distinction between a legitimate protest of Iranians against their government because of the economic crisis, and the imbalance between [the] Rial and dollar, and illegitimate Israel-instigated protests for their own nefarious reasons.”

Dabashi finished by claiming that Israel is influencing the protests to “distract attention from the ongoing genocide of Palestinians in Gaza, and the continued theft of Palestinian territories in the West Bank.

People gather during a protest on January 8, 2026, in Tehran, Iran. Demonstrations have been ongoing since December, triggered by soaring inflation and the collapse of the rial, and have expanded into broader demands for political change.  (Anonymous/Getty Images)

“Professor Dabashi, like all members of the Columbia community, is entitled to express personal views, including those with which others may strongly disagree,” a university spokesman told Fox News Digital. “The opinions he has expressed are his own and do not represent Columbia.”

Dabashi did not return a request for comment. 

Columbia has been dogged by accusations of antisemitism, and was home to some of the most virulent anti-Israel protests and encampments during the two-year war stemming from Hamas’ 2023 terrorist attack on Israeli concertgoers.

In July, President Donald Trump secured a $21 million settlement with the New York school specifically to settle claims of antisemitic employment discrimination against Jewish faculty after the Oct. 7, 2023. Overall, the school forked over a total of $221 million amid a flurry of other federal investigations.

People attend a vigil and protest for Palestine outside of Columbia University on October 7, 2025 in New York City. (Adam Gray/Getty Images)

The school established an antisemitism task force to tackle the allegations, culminating in a December report. 

“In the course of its work, the Task Force has heard of the isolation and pain many Jewish and Israeli Columbia affiliates have experienced in recent months,” the report said. “While mourning Hamas’s unspeakable atrocities on October 7, some Jewish and Israeli Columbia affiliates have been the object of racist epithets and graffiti, antisemitic tropes, and confrontational and unwelcome questions, while others have found their participation in some student groups that have nothing to do with politics to be increasingly uncomfortable.”

In a message announcing the release of the report, Columbia’s acting president, Claire Shipman, said the school is balancing academic freedom of expression and preventing discrimination.