On the 6th March 2025, The St Catharine’s Politics Society host Catz alumnus Sir Simon Shercliff and Prof Ali Ansari in Lent Term at a dinner held in College, where the two talked about their respective expertise on the Middle East.

Sir Simon was ambassador to Iran from 2021 to 2024 and is now the Head of the China Audit at the FCDO.

Ali Massoud Ansari FRSE is a Professor in Modern History with reference to the Middle East at the University of St Andrews, where he is also the founding director of the Institute for Iranian Studies.