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Black smoke rises from the area of Gazprom Neft’s Moscow oil refinery on the southeastern outskirts of Moscow on June 18, 2026. (Getty Images)
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Shortly after the 2015 Iran nuclear deal was signed, unguarded optimism swept many academic and policy circles, and American universities with strong ties to Iranian advocates and donors encouraged academic travel to Iran by its students. As a PhD student at Princeton, Xiyue Wang made the fateful decision to study abroad in Iran, where he was arrested and charged with espionage on completely trumped-up charges. How could America’s academic and policy elite be so naïve about a regime with an enduring commitment to hostage diplomacy? How did Wang manage to win his freedom from Iran’s notorious Evin Prison? How has this informed his work as a scholar? Join Hudson Institute Adjunct Fellow Josh Block for a conversation with Xiyue Wang on this harrowing experience.
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