Short answer: No. As of August 2026, Vali Nasr, a Johns Hopkins SAIS professor and one of the leading American scholars of Iran and Shia Islam, is a persistent critic of Israeli policy rather than a supporter. He has argued that Israel abandoned the two-state framework and now pursues its goals "primarily through force," and he has publicly aligned himself with language calling Israel's Gaza conduct a "colonial project," a stance that drew direct pushback from a Johns Hopkins colleague. There is no record of him supporting Israel, visiting the country in solidarity, donating to Israeli causes, or speaking out against boycotts of it. He is not Jewish; he was born in Tehran and is the son of the Islamic philosopher Seyyed Hossein Nasr.
What Vali Nasr has actually said and done
- November 25, 2024: Eliot Cohen, Nasr's colleague at Johns Hopkins SAIS, publicly criticized Nasr on X for endorsing a letter that used the terms "genocide" and "colonial project" to describe Israel's conduct, calling the framing wrong at a moment when Israel had been attacked. The exchange was reported by The National Interest and referenced in Cohen's own Wikipedia entry.
- January 24, 2026: In an interview with DAWN (Democracy for the Arab World Now), Nasr said the Gaza war "politically weakened Arab states and emboldened Israeli leaders," arguing that Israel abandoned the two-state framework and now "believes it can pursue its objectives primarily through force."
- December 15, 2025: In a Project Syndicate essay titled "Israel Unbound", Nasr wrote that the Middle East should brace for prolonged conflict "as Israel pursues military supremacy," characterizing Israel's post-Gaza-war posture as expansionist rather than aimed at negotiated stability.
- June 16, 2026: On CBC's Front Burner podcast, Nasr described the 2026 Iran war as having "started on February 28, 2026." The watchdog group Honest Reporting Canada publicly objected to that framing, arguing it omitted decades of Iranian regime attacks on Israel and the United States carried out through proxies.
Who is Vali Nasr
Seyyed Vali Reza Nasr was born December 20, 1960, in Tehran and left Iran for the United States around the time of the 1979 revolution. He holds the Majid Khaddouri professorship in International Affairs and Middle East Studies at Johns Hopkins SAIS, where he also served as dean from 2012 to 2019. He is the son of the prominent Islamic philosopher Seyyed Hossein Nasr, and he is widely regarded as one of the leading American academic authorities on Shia Islam, Iran's regional strategy, and US-Iran relations. He served as a senior adviser to Ambassador Richard Holbrooke from 2009 to 2011 and has written as a columnist for Project Syndicate and Foreign Affairs. Nothing in the available public record indicates Jewish ancestry, a visit to Israel, a donation to an Israeli or pro-Israel cause, or an appearance at a pro-Israel event. No sourcing was found showing a formal position for or against BDS or a boycott of Israeli businesses specifically; his criticism has come through scholarly commentary and journalism rather than activism or a boycott pledge.
The bottom line
Vali Nasr does not support Israel. He is a Tehran-born, Muslim-background Middle East scholar whose public commentary through 2026, in Project Syndicate, DAWN, CBC, and his own social media, has consistently framed Israel as the more powerful and forceful actor in the region since October 7, 2023. He has been willing to associate himself with language, "genocide" and "colonial project," strong enough to draw direct criticism from a Johns Hopkins colleague. There is no record of pro-Israel statements, visits, donations, or event appearances, and no connection to Jewish identity.
Wear your support instead
Whatever any one commentator says, you can still make your own position clear. Our I Stand With Israel collection is designed for exactly that: simple, wearable pieces that let you show where you stand without saying a word.
Related
Does Fareed Zakaria Support Israel?
Does Thomas Friedman Support Israel?
Does Christiane Amanpour Support Israel?
Last updated August 2026. We update these profiles as the record changes.
