The University of Washington has removed radical far-left professor and anti-Israel activist Aria Fani from his position as director of the Middle East Center at its Jackson School of International Studies.
Fani, who remains an associate professor at the university, was stripped of his leadership role following a March 18 mass email sent through the center’s official listserv, according to the Jewish News Syndicate. In the message, titled “More Notes on the Iran War,” Fani accused Israel of seeking widespread destruction and dismissed concerns about Iran’s nuclear ambitions.
“Israeli actions tell us that they seek the destruction of the state, not just its ruling class,” Fani wrote. He also claimed it “was always BS” that the Islamic Republic was pursuing nuclear weapons.
A University of Washington spokesperson confirmed the move to The Ari Hoffman Show on Talk Radio 570 KVI, stating: “Aria Fani is no longer the director of the University’s Middle East Center. Daniel Hoffman, the director of the Jackson School of International Studies, will cover the administrative responsibilities of the Middle East Center for this spring and summer. Fani remains an associate professor at the University.”
According to The Daily, UW’s student newspaper, Jackson School Director Daniel Hoffman informed Fani of the decision during a phone call. The two had reportedly discussed the email multiple times beforehand, and Fani believes the listserv message led directly to his removal.
The email, which was distributed to students and faculty, opened with a warning that more messages would follow. “Given that this war shows no signs of stopping, you will continue to hear from me,” Fani wrote. He went on to accuse a “cadre of voices” — including pundits, national security experts, and politicians — of misleading the public about Iran.
In the email, Fani described Zionism as “cancerous, a potentially fatal outgrowth in our planetary body.” After he sent the email, the listserv was placed under moderation, and Fani wasn’t able to send emails.
Fani’s rhetoric in the email echoed previous public statements. In December 2024, during a book event on Afghan and Iranian literary nationalism, he accused Israel of committing “genocide funded by the United States” and described the country as “a Nazi state.” Weeks before the listserv email, he also appeared on KOMO News, claiming the Iranian regime “does not pose a threat to the United States” or Israel.
He also allegedly told a Jewish student: “You can choose between your Jewishness and your morals.”
The UW Jewish Alumni Association criticized Fani’s leadership following the March 18 email. “If the director of UW’s Middle East Center cannot be counted on to share the relevant information students need when it counts, why have a Middle East Center at all?” the group said in a March 27 statement.
Fani has pushed back on the university’s decision, framing it as retaliation for his views. “I knew it was gonna come,” he told The Daily. “It was only a matter of time.”
In an email confirming his removal from the director role, Fani said he was told his messages made “certain constituents feel attacked.” He attributed the backlash to “Zionists who would like to keep bombing every Middle Eastern country and continue dehumanizing their people,” and said he had sent lengthy memos criticizing what he called an “atrocious war on Iran.”
Fani also claimed without any evidence that KVI host Ari Hoffman contributed to his removal. He pointed to a town hall on campus antisemitism moderated by Hoffman at a local synagogue featuring newly installed UW president Robert Jones, where questions were raised about university-sponsored events featuring anti-Israel activism. However, the university stated that President Robert Jones “had no role in, or knowledge of, the end of this administrative appointment.”
Despite his removal from the leadership post, Fani will continue in his faculty role. Fani’s auto-reply to JNS when they sought comment said, “On leave until September. Will not check email with capitalist frequency.”
