VZCZCXRO9647
PP RUEHDIR
DE RUEWCSF #2765 3191428
ZNY SSSSS ZZH
P 151442Z NOV 06
FM IRAN RPO DUBAI
TO RUEHC/SECSTATE WASHDC
INFO RUCNIRA/IRAN COLLECTIVE
RHEFDIA/DIA WASHINGTON DC
RUEAIIA/CIA WASHDC
RHEHAAA/NSC WASHINGTON DC
RUEHDE/AMCONSUL DUBAI
RUEHAD/AMEMBASSY ABU DHABI
RUEHDIR/IRAN RPO DUBAI
RUEHKB/AMEMBASSY BAKU
RUEHRL/AMEMBASSY BERLIN
RUEHLO/AMEMBASSY LONDON

S E C R E T SECTION 01 OF 02 IRAN RPO DUBAI 000013 
 
SIPDIS 
 
SIPDIS 
 
STATE FOR NEA/IR, LONDON FOR GAYLE, BAKU FOR HAUGEN, BERLIN FOR PAETZOLD 
 
E.O. 12958: DECL:  11/15/2016 
TAGS: IR PGOV SOCI
SUBJECT: AHMADINEJAD USES UNIVERSITIES FOR POLITICAL ENDS 
 
REF: REF A:  DUBAI 006053, REF B:  IRPO 0009 
 
RPO DUBAI 00000013  001.3 OF 002 
 
 
CLASSIFIED BY: JILLIAN BURNS, DIRECTOR, IRAN REGIONAL PRESENCE 
OFFICE - DUBAI, DEPARTMENT OF STATE. 
REASON: 1.4 (D) 
 
1.(S) SUMMARY.  PRESIDENT AHMADINEJAD APPEARS TO BE CONTINUING 
HIS EFFORTS TO REORIENT UNIVERSITY CAMPUSES MORE IN LINE WITH 
HIS HARD-LINE IDEOLOGY, AS WELL AS USING THEM FOR HIS OWN 
POLITICAL GAIN.  A RECENT PRESS REPORT INDICATES THAT 
AHMADINEJAD IS TRYING TO CHANGE THE FOUNDING COMMITTEE OF 
ISLAMIC AZAD UNIVERSITY (IAU).  IAU HAS TRADITIONALLY BEEN 
ASSOCIATED WITH EXPEDIENCY COUNCIL CHAIR ALI HASHEMI RAFSANJANI 
AND IS OFTEN REFERRED TO AS "RAFSANJANI U" (REF A).  SEPARATELY, 
THE CHANCELLOR OF PETROLEUM UNIVERSITY OF TECHNOLOGY CLAIMED 
AHMADINEJAD IS INAPPROPRIATELY INSERTING HIMSELF INTO HIS 
UNIVERSITY'S ADMINISTRATIVE MATTERS.  THE GOVERNMENT HAS ORDERED 
PETROLEUM UNIVERSITY'S HEADQUARTERS TO BE MOVED FROM TEHRAN TO 
ABADAN.  THE CHANCELLOR BELIEVES THE MOTIVE IS NOT ACADEMIC BUT 
POLITICAL, TO APPEASE RESENTMENT IN KHUZESTAN FOR ECONOMIC 
INEQUITIES.  IF AHMADINEJAD SUPPLANTS RAFSANJANIS INFLUENCE 
OVER IAU, HE WILL HAVE SUCCEEDED BOTH AT WEAKENING HIS RIVAL AND 
OPENING UP MORE CAMPUSES TO HIS INFLUENCE.  END SUMMARY. 
 
2.(U) DOMESTIC PRESS INDICATES THAT PRESIDENT AHMADINEJAD IS 
INSERTING HIMSELF IN THE OVERSIGHT OF ISLAMIC AZAD UNIVERSITY 
(IAU), A MOVE THAT MAY BE INDICATIVE OF AN ONGOING POWER 
STRUGGLE WITH EXPEDIENCY COUNCIL CHAIR ALI HASHEMI RAFSANJANI. 
AS REPORTED IN REF A, IAU IS CLOSELY ASSOCIATED WITH EXPEDIENCY 
COUNCIL CHAIR ALI HASHEMI RAFSANJANI, WHO IS A MEMBER OF THE 
FOUNDING COMMITTEE (PRESUMABLY SIMILAR TO A BOARD OF TRUSTEES). 
WITH MORE THAN 70 CAMPUSES, IAU IS OFTEN REFERRED TO AS 
"RAFSANJANI U."  LAST YEAR, ROOZ NEWSPAPER CLAIMED A POLITICAL 
SHOWDOWN WAS BUILDING BETWEEN RAFSANJANI AND AHMADINEJAD OVER 
CONTROL OF THE IAU SYSTEM, FEATURING CABINET ATTACKS ON IAU'S 
CHANCELLOR, DR. ABDOLLAH JASBI, AND CALLS FOR HIS REMOVAL. 
ADDITIONALLY, AHMADINEJAD CRITICIZED IAUS HIGH TUITION RATES. 
ROOZ SUGGESTED THAT IAU WAS THE ONLY INSTITUTION THAT 
AHMADINEJAD'S SUPPORTERS HAD NOT SUCCESSFULLY INFILTRATED, AND 
THESE STEPS WERE SALVOS IN A PROXY STRUGGLE BETWEEN AHMADINEJAD 
AND RAFSANJANI. 
 
3.(SBU) ACCORDING TO CONSERVATIVE DAILY TEHRAN SIYASAT-E-RUZ, 
AHMADINEJAD APPOINTED A FIVE-MEMBER COMMITTEE TO PLAN CHANGING 
THE IAU FOUNDING COMMITTEE.  FIVE OF THE SEVEN MEMBERS OF THE 
FOUNDING COUNCIL OF IAU HAVE REPORTEDLY DIED OR RESIGNED, 
LEAVING ONLY EXPEDIENCY COUNCIL CHAIR ALI HASHEMI RAFSANJANI AND 
DR. JASBI.  AHMADINEJAD'S ACTIONS REPORTEDLY LED DR. JASBI TO 
ANNOUNCE HIS INTENTION TO RETIRE.  ACCORDING TO THE PRESS 
REPORT, AHMADINEJAD'S COMMITTEE IS COMPRISED OF MEMBERS OF THE 
SUPREME ISLAMIC REVOLUTIONARY COUNCIL (SIRC), THE DECISION MAKER 
ON ALL CULTURAL, RESEARCH, AND EDUCATION MATTERS.  SIRC HAS 
REPORTEDLY LONG BEEN  DISAPPOINTED WITH IAUS EDUCATIONAL 
STANDARDS.  (NOTE: CONTACTS HAVE ALSO MAINTAINED THAT THE 
QUALITY OF EDUCATION OF ISLAMIC AZAD UNIVERSITIES IS INFERIOR TO 
THAT OF STATE UNIVERSITIES, WHILE THE PRICE IS HIGHER. ENDNOTE) 
THE DAILY SURMISES THAT AHMADINEJAD WILL LIKELY GARNER THE 
NECESSARY SUPPORT, VIA HIS COMMITTEE, TO INFLUENCE IAU 
ADMINISTRATION. 
 
4.(S) OUTLINING A SEPARATE EFFORT BY AHMADINEJAD AND HIS 
GOVERNMENT TO USE UNIVERSITIES FOR POLITICAL ENDS, THE 
CHANCELLOR OF PETROLEUM UNIVERSITY OF TECHNOLOGY TOLD IRPOFFS 
THAT HE HAD BEEN INSTRUCTED TO SHIFT THE UNIVERSITY HEADQUARTERS 
FROM TEHRAN TO KHUZESTAN.  UNTIL RECENTLY, THE PETROLEUM 
UNIVERSITY HAD THREE BRANCHES, ONE IN AHVAZ, ONE IN ABADAN, AND 
ONE IN THE NORTH, PLUS THE MAIN CAMPUS IN TEHRAN.  THE 
CHANCELLOR BELIEVED HIS HEADQUARTERS WERE BEING MOVED IN AN 
EFFORT TO ASSUAGE KHUZESTAN PROVINCE, WHICH HAS OFTEN COMPLAINED 
OF NEGLECT FROM THE CENTRAL GOVERNMENT.  HE CALLED THE DIRECTIVE 
INAPPROPRIATE, NOTING THAT UNIVERSITY CAMPUSES ARE SACROSANCT 
AND SHOULD NOT BE USED AS A TOOL FOR POLITICAL GAIN.  WHILE IT 
IS POSSIBLE THE CHANCELLOR WAS SIMPLY PEEVED AT THE 
RESTRUCTURING, HE MAINTAINED THE UNIVERSITY WAS BETTER SERVED BY 
MORE DIRECT ACCESS TO OTHER IMPORTANT INSTITUTIONS IN THE 
CAPITAL. 
 
5.(U) THESE MOVES FOLLOW EARLIER REPORTS THAT PRESIDENT 
AHMADINEJAD WAS ATTEMPTING TO PURGE LIBERAL AND SECULAR 
PROFESSORS FROM UNIVERSITIES.  PROFESSORS WHO ESPOUSE LIBERAL 
VIEWS, PARTICULARLY THOSE IN THE HUMANITIES FIELD, WERE BEING 
FIRED, FORCED TO RETIRE, OR SIMPLY DENIED FULL PROFESSORSHIPS. 
PROFESSORS ARE ALSO GIVEN INCENTIVES TO SPEND THEIR SABBATICALS 
B T 
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RPO DUBAI 00000013  002.3 OF 002 
 
 
IN RELIGIOUS SCHOOLS.  (REF B) 
 
6.(C) COMMENT:  WHILE THERE ARE APPARENTLY, LEGITIMATE 
COMPLAINTS ABOUT THE QUALITY OF IAU EDUCATION, AHMADINEJAD'S 
ACTIONS MAY HAVE OTHER MOTIVATIONS.  IF AHMADINEJAD IS 
SUCCESSFUL IN WRESTING CONTROL OVER IAU AWAY FROM RAFSANJANI, HE 
WINS TWO WAYS -- DIRECTLY DIMINISHING THE POWER OF HIS RIVAL AND 
OPENING NEW OPPORTUNITIES TO ASSERT HIMSELF IDEOLOGICALLY OVER 
MORE THAN 70 CAMPUSES THAT COMPRISE THE IAU.  THE ADVICE IN REF 
A FROM ANOTHER UNIVERSITY ADMINISTRATOR THAT IAU CAMPUSES MAY BE 
IN A BETTER POSITION TO ENGAGE WITH THE US BECAUSE OF THEIR 
RELATIVE INDEPENDENCE COULD BE IN QUESTION. 
BURNS 
B T 
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