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Washington DC - The Iranian American 2010 Census Project proudlyannounces the addition of Andisheh Center, Association of Iranian American Professionals of San Diego, Bay Area Iranian-American Democrats, Empowered Women United, Iranican, Iranian Studies Group at MIT, Persian Center and Persian Cultural Club to its list of coalition partners.

Now at 19 partners and counting, the coalition was formed to ensuremaximum and consistent participation by Iranian Americans in the 2010 U.S.Census. The addition of these new organizations strengthens and expands thecoalition's outreach and penetration, providing it with more resources and alarger platform for educating Iranian Americans nationwide and encouragingtheir participation in the Census.

Washington, DC - The day you have been waiting for is finally here...You can order Maz Jobrani's hilarious "Brown and Friendly" on DVD today, and experience the acclaimed Iranian comedian and NIAC Advisory Board Member's hilarity over and over again! Order Maz's exclusive "Brown and Friendly" pack and get the DVD, a "Brown and Friendly" tour t-shirt, and a poster autographed by the "brown" man himself, all for $24.99! Don't miss out on this limited time offer!

Order Now

Washington, DC - Jaras website (Jonbesheh Rahe Sabz / Rahesabz.net), one of the principal websites of the Green Movement, published a feature article in Persian yesterday praising NIAC for its work to expand civic participation among Iranian Americans. The article, which refers to NIAC as the civil liberty defendants of Iranian Americans, also discusses the history of the community, pointing out the generational shift that is taking place with NIAC’s increasingly prominent leadership in the community .

Please click here for the article.

Washington, DC - NIAC condemns in the strongest terms the Iranian government's execution of political dissidents Mohammad Reza Ali Zamani and Arash Rahmani Pour today.  NIAC calls on the Iranian government to immediately end its campaign of politically motivated executions, release all political prisoners, and ensure that detained individuals are no longer denied the right to fair trial in accordance with international human rights standards.  NIAC also calls on the United Nations and its member states to ensure that the Iranian government upholds its obligations and is held accountable for acts committed in violation of the Iranian people's rights.

NIAC is pleased to announce its fifth annual Public Service Fellowship. This fellowship is the first and only initiative designed to grant Iranian-American students the opportunity to learn first-hand how the US government works by interning on Capitol Hill.

NIAC will place three Iranian-American students in Congressional offices to fulfill an internship during the months of June to August. Fellows will be required to write about their experience for publication on our website. The leading candidate will receive a stipend of $1000. 

Rising college sophomores, juniors, seniors, recent graduates and graduate students who are US citizens or legal permanent residents of Iranian descent are eligible to apply. Responsibilities of the fellow include: attending committee hearings, researching legislation, general office duties, and other activities that promote first-hand knowledge of the American legislative process.

Washington, DC - This March, as millions of Iranians and Iranian Americans celebrate Norooz, they may be joined by an unlikely group: the United States Congress.  H.Res.267, the Norooz Resolution, was unanimously approved today by the House Oversight and Government Reform Committee and now awaits final passage before the House of Representatives.  For the first time ever, Congress is now poised to officially recognize Norooz and the rich cultural traditions of Iranian Americans.

Washington, DC - With the Senate expected to approve comprehensive Iran legislation, S.2799, in the coming weeks, NIAC has released a guide offering suggested changes to the legislation that would bring the bill more in line with the Obama Administration's strategy.

S.2799 is intended to enhance the President's options regarding Iran, providing him new tools to accomplish US policy aims.  However, senior Administration officials have expressed serious concerns with the bill in the media and in a letter to Senate Foreign Relations Chairman John Kerry.  Secretary of State Hillary Clinton has stated a preference for targeted sanctions aimed at "those who actually make the decisions" and do not "contribute to the suffering of the ordinary Iranians, who deserve better than what they currently are receiving".  The Administration is now involved in negotiations with Senate leaders to resolve these issues.

For Immediate Release
Contact: Phil Elwood
917.379.3787

Congressman Barrett,

The National Iranian American Council and the Iranian-American community is outraged by your plan to reintroduce legislation mandating the deportation of thousands of Iranian students and workers who came to this country legally in search of education, liberty and a better way of life. The Stop Terrorist Entry Program (STEP) Act would make discrimination against Iranians into United States law. There are over one million Americans of Iranian descent woven into the diverse fabric of this nation through family and community--your legislation would divide and fracture these families and communities in the name of false security. Read more.

Washington, DC - Since Iran's disputed presidential election in June, lawmakers in the United States have searched for ways to support the Iranian people's movement for basic rights and freedoms.  Yet, with the tattered history of US involvement in internal Iranian politics, they must tread lightly or else risk buttressing the Iranian government's claim that its opponents are "agents of foreign powers." 

Taking those concerns into consideration, Rep. Keith Ellison (D-MN) introduced H.R. 4303, the Stand with the Iranian People Act (SWIPA), to support the Iranian people's democratic movement by ensuring that America's Iran policy imposes pressure on the Iranian government--not the innocent Iranian people.  In order to do this, SWIPA imposes targeted sanctions on Iran's human rights abusers, while simultaneously relaxing restrictions on US humanitarian assistance delivered directly to the Iranian people.

تحلیل: قانون حمایت از مردم ایران

واشنگتن دی. سی. – از هنگام انتخابات ریاست جمهوری ایران در خراد ماه امسال، قانون‌گذاران ایالات متحده راه‌های مختلفی را برای پشتیبانی از جنبش مردم ایران به منظور دستیابی به حقوق و آزادی‌های اولیه خود مورد بررسی قرار داده‌اند. با این وجود، با تاریخ تباه مداخله‌های ایالات متحده در سیاست‌های داخلی ایران، آنان باید خیلی آهسته و محتاطانه قدم بردارند وگرنه بر ادعای دولت ایران مبنی بر اینکه مخالفانش "عوامل قدرت‌های خارجی" هستند صحه می‌گذارند.    

با در نظر گرفتن این ملاحظات، کیت الیسون (نماینده جمهوری‌خواه ایالت مینسوتا) قانون اچ. آر. ۴۳۰۳ یا «قانون حمایت از مردم ایران» ((SWIPA را معرفی کرد تا از جنبش دموکراتیک مردم ایران با این تضمین که سیاست‌های آمریکا در مورد ایران فشارش تنها بر روی دولت ایران است – و نه مردم بی‌گناه ایران- پشتیبانی کند. به منظور انجام چنین امری، این قانون تحریم‌های هدفمندی را بر روی نقض‌کنندگان حقوق بشر در ایران تحمیل می‌کند، حال آنکه همزمان محدویت‌های در خصوص کمک‌های بشردوستانۀ ایالات متحده که به طور مستقیم برای مردم ایران ارسال می‌شود کمتر می‌گردد. 

Washington, DC - For decades, Iranians have lived under the double burden of repression by their government and unintended hardship caused by US sanctions.  Even now, Congress is rushing to pass the Iran Refined Petroleum Sanctions Act (IRPSA), which will only contribute to the Iranian people's suffering by seeking to restrict Iran's supply of heating oil and gasoline.  Prominent members of Iran's opposition movement, such as Mir Hossein Mousavi and Mehdi Karoubi, as well as human rights defenders like Shirin Ebadi and Akbar Ganji, have all spoken out strongly against such sanctions that punish innocent Iranians.

Today, however, a group of Members of Congress are standing up to reverse this failed paradigm.  Rep. Keith Ellison (D-MN) has introduced the Stand with the Iranian People Act (SWIPA), and Rep. Jim Moran (D-VA) has introduced the Iranian Digital Empowerment Act (IDEA).  Together, these unprecedented pieces of legislation will enable the US to genuinely support the Iranian people by removing unnecessary obstacles that have made their struggle for rights and freedom more difficult

Click here to tell Congress to stand with the Iranian People!

The following statement was issued by NIAC in response to today's article in the Washington Times: 

Washington DC - NIAC is proud of its work to advance US national security through a smarter and more effective policy on Iran. NIAC rejects the insinuations made by Washington Times that its activities are in violation of tax laws, the Foreign Agents Registration Act and lobbying disclosure laws.

NIAC has provided tens of thousands of documents and all its financial records in order to prosecute a defamation case against Hassan Dai. Those documents prove the allegations made against NIAC are completely false. The judge denied Dai’s motion to dismiss the case on 18 out of 19 counts. Realizing this, the defendants have decided to maliciously leak those documents to a reporter at the Washington Times, Eli Lake, in an attempt to litigate the case in the media rather than in a court of law.

What is happening is ominously similar to what has happened in Iran - radical and extremist elements are increasingly dominating the public discourse, while the moderate center gets smeared into silence.

Here at NIAC, of course, we refuse to be silenced.

This article recently appeared in the Huffington Post.

In the usually wonky world of non-profit issue-advocacy organizations, a decidedly political campaign has been waged against foreign policy institutions that promote diplomacy over militarism.

Two relatively new organizations -- each covering distinctly opposite ends on the spectrum of Middle Eastern affairs -- have been the target of withering public relations attacks in recent weeks and months.

The National Iranian American Council (NIAC), an organization that promotes diplomatic engagement between the U.S. and Iran, sprung to prominence recently for its active media presence in the aftermath of Iran's disputed elections though its influence in the nation's capital had been felt long before then. But as NIAC's voice grew louder in foreign policy circles, so too did the vehemence of its critics.

Tel: 202 215 0998

For immediate release

Washington, DC, Oct 3, 2008 -- The National Iranian American Council, working in partnership with a coalition of grassroots NGOs successfully defeated a Congressional resolution that would take a decisive step towards war with Iran.

"Stopping this dangerous resolution is a significant victory for the Iranian-American community," said Emily Blout, Legislative Director at the National Iranian American Council. "It is also a testament to the American people's opposition to another war in the Middle East."

Washington DC - What do former Under Secretary of State Tom Pickering, Congressmen Wayne Gilchrest (R-MD) and Jim Moody (D-WI), comedian and actor Maz Jobrani, author Reza Aslan and Professor R.K. Ramazani have in common? They all serve together with ten other prominent academics and professionals on NIAC's new Board of Advisors.

NIAC has issued a position statement on the deteriorating human rights situation in Iran. Both Amnesty International and Human Rights Watch have reported a significant increase in human rights violations in Iran in the past few years. The statement expresses grave concern about the human rights situation in Iran and urges the government of Iran to respect the internationally recognized rights of its citizens.

As the human rights situation in Iran deteriorated, NIAC consulted its membership for guidance. As the largest grass-roots organization representing Americans of Iranian descent, NIAC regularly seeks direction from its membership to determine its priorities. The NIAC membership voted in favor of raising the organization’s profile in speaking out against human rights violations in Iran.

Washington DC - Thousands of priceless artifacts from Persepolis that are on loan to the University of Chicago risk being auctioned off to the highest bidder. In an effort to defend the collective cultural heritage of Iranian Americans, the National Iranian American Council (NIAC) has secured pro bono representation from with Mayer Brown LLP with connection to the case, Rubin v. Islamic Republic of Iran.

“The Iranian-American community has felt helpless in face of this threat to their historic heritage,” said Trita Parsi, NIAC President. “With Mayer Brown’s help, we are creating an avenue for the community to have their concerns and interests considered in this legal battle.”

Download Farsi version in PDF

Washington DC - NIAC’s funding has grown significantly over the last few years. The structure of NIAC’s financing reflectsthe organization's grass-roots nature and the strong support it enjoys in the Iranian-American community. NIAC is an organization for Iranian Americans because it’s funded by Iranian Americans. At the same time, we have been fortunate enough to receive support and grants from major US and Iranian-American foundations such as Ploughshares Fund, Colombe Foundation, National Endowment for Democracy, Tides Foundation, Kenbe Foundation, Pluralism Fund, Open Society Institute, Connect US, Parsa Foundation, the Hand Foundation, Ahoora Foundation, the Houtan Foundation and the Eurasia Foundation.

Washington DC - The National Iranian American Council (NIAC) has been the target of several erroneous, maliciously defamatory opinion pieces by Kenneth Timmerman and Hassan Daioleslam in Frontpage Magazine. The articles are riddled with inaccuracies, misquotations, incorrect links and references to figures that played no role in NIAC's inception, operations, or its development over the years.