(Bloomberg) — A political scientist who has taught at Boston University and other U.S. schools has been arrested on charges he acted as an unregistered foreign agent for Iran.

Iranian-born Kaveh Afrasiabi, a permanent resident of the U.S., was arrested Sunday at his home in Watertown, Massachusetts, was charged with conspiracy to act as an unregistered foreign agent in a scheme that dated back to 2007, according to a criminal complaint unsealed in federal court in Brooklyn, New York, on Tuesday.

Prosecutors charged Afrasiabi with attempting to influence U.S public opinion on Iran’s behalf during appearances with U.S. news media as an expert on Iran’s nuclear policy.