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FIU experts available to discuss Iran situation

FIU experts available to discuss Iran situation

January 8, 2020 at 4:30pm


President Trump imposed new sanctions on Iran on Wednesday following the Iranian missile strike on an Iraqi military base housing American military forces on Tuesday.

FIU experts are available to discuss various issues surrounding relations between Iran and the U.S.

Experts, policymakers and commentators will be at FIU Thursday, January 9 – Friday, January 10, 2020 for FIU’s State of the World 2020 conference to tackle the crisis in Iran and other global challenges. Iran will be the focus of Friday's 1:30 p.m. panel on the Middle East.

Members of the FIU Media Relations team are available to assist in contacting the experts:

  • Maydel Santana, assistant vice president: 305-348-1555, santanam@fiu.edu 
  • Madeline Baró, director of media relations: 305-348-2234,  mbaro@fiu.edu 
  • Dianne Fernandez, broadcast media specialist: 305-608-4870, dfernand37@fiu.edu 
  • Amy Ellis, communications manager, Steven J. Green School of International & Public Affairs, 305-348-5360, ellis@fiu.edu 
Mohammad Homayounvash
Lecturer, Department of Politics and International Relations, and expert on Iran’s nuclear program 
Mohammad Homayounvash focuses on foreign policy, Iran and the Middle East on contemporary problems in international relations.
Mohammad.Homayounvash1@fiu.edu 
305-348-2226

Eric Lob
Professor, Department of Politics and International Relations, and an expert on the Islamic Republic of Iran
Eric Lob’s research focuses on the intersection of development and politics in the Middle East. It specifically explores how state and non-state actors in the region instrumentalize development as a soft power mechanism to further their political interests both domestically and internationally. Lob currently teaches courses on comparative politics and international relations of the Middle East and on political violence and revolution.
elob@fiu.edu 
305-348-7923

Naisy Sarduy
Instructor, Department of Politics and International Relations, and an expert on U.S.-Iran relations
Naisy Sarduy specializes on the international relations of the Middle East, with a particular focus on Iran, Islamic political movements and their relations with the West. Sarduy teaches courses on international relations, comparative politics of the Middle East, Iran and the Persian Gulf.
nsarduy@fiu.edu  
305-348-7927

Brian Fonseca
Director, Jack D. Gordon Institute for Public Policy
Fonseca serves as the institute’s technical expert for national security and foreign policy. He has been featured in local and national media analyzing the 2016 U.S. general elections. He joined FIU after serving as the senior research manager for socio-cultural analysis at United States Southern Command. Fonseca holds degrees in international business and international relations from FIU and has attended Sichuan University in Chengdu, China and the National Defense University in Washington D.C. From 1997 to 2004, he served in the United States Marine Corps and facilitated the training of foreign military forces in both hostile theaters and during peacetime operations.
fonsecab@fiu.edu 
305-348-7420

Frank Mora 
Director, Kimberly Green Latin American and Caribbean Center
Prior to coming to FIU, Mora served as Deputy Assistant Secretary of Defense for the Western Hemisphere. Mora is the author or editor of five books and numerous academic and policy articles, book chapters, and monographs on hemispheric security, U.S.-Latin American relations, civil-military relations, Cuban politics and military, and Latin American foreign policy. Mora is available for interviews in Spanish.
moraf@fiu.edu  
305-348-2894