A prominent academic at the University of Melbourne has denied collaborating on research with the speaker of Iran's parliament, Mohammad Bagher Ghalibaf, who has been leading Tehran's peace negotiations with the United States. Professor Abbas Rajabifard stated that he was named as an author on a journal article without his knowledge and has since had his name removed.
Background of the Controversy
Guardian Australia revealed that Ghalibaf, a former commander of Iran's Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps, had built extensive ties to Australia over the past decade, including links to a University of Melbourne engineering research centre. In March 2023, Ghalibaf appeared as a co-author of a journal article with Rajabifard, who leads the research centre that employed Ghalibaf's son seven years earlier.
Rajabifard told the Guardian that he had no involvement in the article and requested its removal earlier this year. The article, titled Explanation of the I.R.I's Political Economy and Reconstructing of the Social Economy, was published in the Iran-based Journal of Applied Researchers in Geographical Sciences. Other academics from the University of Tehran were also listed as co-authors.
Rajabifard's Response
Rajabifard said he was unaware of his listing as a co-author until January and immediately contacted the journal for removal. He stated: "I have never worked or connected or published articles with Mr Ghalibaf or any IRGC members." He clarified that he did not participate in the study or writing of the manuscript and did not provide consent for his name to be used. His name was removed from the journal website in February.
In 2016, Rajabifard visited the University of Tehran's Faculty of Geography, where Ghalibaf is an associate professor, as part of a University of Melbourne delegation. He delivered a seminar but stressed this was his only visit to that faculty.
Government Stance on Iran Collaboration
Australia has not imposed sanctions on Ghalibaf, the University of Tehran, or the journal's publisher, Kharazmi University. However, in 2023, Foreign Affairs Minister Penny Wong urged universities to halt joint projects with Iranian entities due to human rights concerns. The federal education minister, Jason Clare, later reiterated these expectations to university vice-chancellors.
Guardian Australia has previously reported research collaborations between Australian universities and Iranian researchers in sensitive areas like artificial intelligence and biotechnology.
University of Melbourne's Position
A University of Melbourne spokesperson declined to comment on individual cases but stated the university is alert to foreign interference risks and has introduced mandatory Foreign Interest Disclosures for all staff.
Details on Ghalibaf's Son
Eshagh Ghalibaf, the son of Mohammad Bagher Ghalibaf, studied for a master's degree in engineering at the University of Melbourne from 2015 to 2018 and worked as a research assistant at the Centre for Spatial Data Infrastructures and Land Administration (CSDILA) from 2016 to 2018. He secured temporary residency in Australia until September 2022. The head of the department at that time was Rajabifard, who also directs CSDILA. Rajabifard cited privacy policies in declining to comment on the job offer.
The Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade reiterated that universities should not engage in research collaborations with Iranian entities that conflict with Australia's foreign policy, sanctions regime, or national interest.
