Letter From the President
2024 has been a year of immense tumult and change – from wars in the Middle East and Iran and Israel trading direct military strikes, to elections here at home that returned Donald Trump to power. Through it all, NIAC has been at the center of efforts to prevent a U.S. war with Iran, protect the rights of Iranian Americans, and celebrate and empower our community.
This year, NIAC added 8,000 new members – growing at a 4x higher rate than in 2023 and an average of 25 new members per day. NIAC currently has members in every state in the U.S., with 65,000 members nationwide, and over 5,000 activists dedicating their time, money and resources to stopping war, promoting peace, fighting for democracy and protecting our civil rights.
In our 2024 Membership Survey that sets our agenda, NIAC Action members voted overwhelmingly for preventing war with Iran and securing a ceasefire in Gaza as their first and second priorities, respectively. This was followed by relieving sanctions that hurt ordinary Iranians, supporting diplomacy, and protecting civil rights at home.
As a grassroots organization, this work is only possible with the contributions of our donors and volunteers. If you want to fuel our mission (and vote in our 2025 Members Survey to help set our agenda), please make an End Of Year donation today so we can hit our goals and be ready for all that is to come in 2025.
Best,
Jamal Abdi, President
National Iranian American Council
Opposing War
In 2024, the specter of war with Iran loomed large as Iran and Israel exchanged direct military strikes. As a consistent and principled voice against war with Iran, NIAC worked with a large coalition of peace organizations to demand a ceasefire in Gaza and de-escalation to prevent a regional war with Iran.
Iranian Americans oppose war with Iran
NIAC surveyed over 4,000 Iranian-American voters across the country and found that 3 out of 4 Iranian-American voters believe preventing war with Iran should be a top priority for the next President.
Mobilizing for peace
Our “No War with Iran action hours” mobilized over 500 volunteers who made hundreds of phone calls to the White House and Congress against war with Iran. NIAC Chapters across the country held 60 local meetings with their lawmakers as NIAC’s team in DC conducted regular outreach and provided education and analysis for officials and lawmakers on preventing war.
Demanding a ceasefire
With NIAC Action members voting to make Ceasefire a top priority, we played a key role in organizing to demand the U.S. support a ceasefire to end the killing in Gaza and prevent a regional war with Iran, including supporting Senator Bernie Sanders’ resolutions to block weapons sales and organizing grassroots advocacy efforts like a Ceasefire Week of Action for volunteers to meet lawmakers in Washington.
Thought Leadership
In addition to providing briefings, memos, op-eds, and educational resources for policymakers, media and the public, NIAC hosted conversations and briefings, including with Rep. Rashida Tlaib and top experts, on issues including the war in Gaza and the prospect of regional war, and U.S. policy in the Middle East.
Protecting Civil Rights
NIAC continued its work to defend the rights of Iranian Americans and build bridges across communities that face similar challenges to confront them together.
Banking Discrimination
NIAC worked with allies on Capitol Hill like Senator Elizabeth Warren and Congresswoman Ilhan Omar to call for new rules to stop banks from discriminating against customers because of their Iranian heritage and worked with the Administration on developing those new rules – which we will now work to finalize in the new Administration. We also directly took on banks, including publicly pressing Wells Fargo and supporting legal action against Bank of America.
Alien Land Laws
NIAC co-leads a multi-ethnic coalition of national and state-based organizations fighting efforts to ban property ownership on the basis of Iranian nationality and prevented any such federal legislation from passing.
Iran Travel Ban
NIAC fought efforts by Congressmen Joe Wilson and Jared Moskowitz to impose a federal ban on U.S. travel to Iran. While the legislation passed the House, we blocked it from passing in the Senate.
Student Bans
NIAC has a long history of working to ensure Iranian students can study in the U.S., including efforts this year to block a Florida law that bans Iranian students from academic or research based employment.
We need your support to hit our fundraising target >>
Post-Election Symposium
One week after Election Day, NIAC hosted a Post-Election Symposium featuring leading experts to provide an exclusive, first-hand analysis of the election results and what they mean for advocates of peace, civil rights, and democracy.
In the Media
NIAC’s experts and analysis was featured or quoted by top media outlets in 2024, including appearances on MSNBC and Al Jazeera and in The Washington Post, The Intercept, Newsweek, and Yahoo! News.
Equitable Immigration
NIAC has closely tracked the issuance of visas and refugee status for Iranians, and advocated to officials in our government for steps to enable more Iranian students, family members, visitors, and refugees to come to the U.S.
Combatting Disinformation
NIAC led a letter signed by 30 organizations urging the Justice Department to investigate public reports of illegal Israel-backed influence operations aimed at influencing America’s democratic debate and attacking critics.
Empowering Our Community
NIAC chapters across the country organized locally to build community, forge alliances, and engage local and federal elected officials on the issue.
As part of our voter outreach efforts, NIAC contacted over 120,000 Iranian-American voters ahead of the election.
NIAC’s Organizing Team trained 100s activists across different pro-peace and pro-rights communities.
Standing with the Iranian People
Human Rights Tracker
NIAC’s Human Rights Tracker highlighted human rights defenders as part of our efforts to shine a spotlight on the efforts of Iranians inside Iran to secure their rights and stand up for freedom.
Internet Freedom
Building on our work to prevent sanctions from blocking communications tools for Iranians, we supported the development of an Internet freedom strategy for Iran that was included in a must-pass authorization bill.
Celebrating Our Culture
We took time to celebrate our rich cultural heritage at events online and in-person, including a Norooz celebration with Mayor Brandon Johnson at Chicago City Hall, virtual book talks with Iranian-American authors like Abdi Nazemian, and community gatherings across the country.
Power This Work!
As a grassroots organizations, we depend on the support of people like YOU to accomplish our mission. Please make an End of Year Contribution today so we can have an impactful and succesful 2025.
