At least two professors specializing in Iranian studies have been sanctioned or dismissed from their positions following public criticism of the US-Israeli war on Iran.
These disciplinary actions followed the outbreak of the conflict in late February. The dismissals are part of a broader trend analyzed in the spring 2026 issue of Middle East Report, titled Campus Politics—Palestine and the New University Order
.
The report describes an escalating federal assault on universities that intensified during the first year of President Donald Trump’s second term. According to the publication, these actions were frequently characterized as reprisals against university administrations that failed to impose more severe punishments on students and faculty.
This environment follows the second anniversary of university encampments, which served as a peak for campus mobilizations against the Gaza genocide and spurred a new generation of labor, student, and faculty organizing for the Palestinian cause. These mobilizations have continued since October 7, 2023.
Torin Monahan reports that US university campuses have succumbed to a web of surveillance, censorship and securitization
. While these measures initially targeted Palestine organizing, Monahan indicates they have since accelerated under the Trump administration to encompass a wider remit.
In response to these pressures, the Middle East Studies Association (MESA) has initiated legal action against the administration. The details of this lawsuit are examined by Aslı Bâli in the current issue of the report.
The trend of campus-based political struggle extends beyond the United States. Sean Lee and Mostafa Hefny report that three quarters of pro-Palestine protests worldwide, many of which began on campus, are concentrated in the United States, France, Italy, Spain, Australia, Turkey, Iran, and the Arab world.
The report notes that the stakes for these protests are higher in Arab autocracies that have normalized relations with Israel. Within these diverse geographies, Andrew Ross describes the university as remaining
a site of struggle.Andrew Ross, researcher
