A Russian citizen, a Zoroastrian priest, and a Cambridge University lecturer will give Harvard's first courses on modern Iranian literature, religion, and history this semester.

Reshat M. Aliyev will teach Iranian 176, Persian Literature. Aliyev is the first Russian citizen to give a regular course at Harvard, according to Richard N. Frye, Aga Khan Professor of Iranian.

Peshotan Anklesaria, who is offering the History of Zoroastrianism at the Center for World Religions, is the first University instructor to be a Zoroastrian priest.

History 189d, History of Modern Iran, will be given by Peter W. Avery from Cambridge.

Frey said last night that the increased published literature of the Persian countries and their nationalistic spirit have spurred this sudden, "push" on Iranian studies.

"We hope to offer literature courses in Pashto, Tajiki, Baluchi, and Kurdish next year," he added. These languages, he said, are spoken by over 15 million people in the Near East.

Money raised by the Center for Middle Eastern Studies and the Center for World Religions, along with funds from the Aga Khan professorship, will finance this year's new courses. Frye predicted that the National Defense Education Act will probably be the main course of money for later offerings.

The College catalog lists advanced courses in Persian languages and literatures, but these have not been given because there have been no qualified students to take them