Informing Policy Makers
NIAC holds major policy conferences on Capitol Hill to examine the most significant and timely issues facing the U.S. and Iran. We bring together the world’s foremost experts on Iranian politics, human rights, US-Iran relations, and nuclear weapons to answer the toughest questions that policy makers wrestle with everyday. All of this is part of NIAC’s continued mission to bring the Iranian-American perspective into the halls of power in Washington DC.
Here you will find information about our past and upcoming conferences, including videos, transcripts, and more.
2013 Leadership Conference
October 13 – October 15
Nuclear Diplomacy with Iran & the Saudi & Israeli Perspectives
Yossi Alpher, former Mossad and Israel Defense Forces Official
Dr. Shireen Hunter, former Iranian Diplomat and Center for Strategic and International Studies expert
Dr. Aaron David Miller, Vice President of the Woodrow Wilson Center
Prince Turki bin Faisal Al Saud, former Saudi Ambassador to the United States and Chief of Saudi Intelligence
Making or Breaking U.S. – Iran Diplomacy
Dr. Colin Kahl, Deputy Assistant Secretary of Defense for the Middle East
Dr. Mohsen Milani, Executive Director of the Center for Strategic and Diplomatic Studies, University of South Florida
Dr. Giandomenico Picco, Former Undersecretary-General of the United Nations
Iranian American Identity & Cyrus the Great
Dr. Marc Gopin, Director of the Center for World Religions, Diplomacy and Conflict Resolution (CRDC)
Dr. Ahmad Karimi-Hakkak, Chair of the Department of Middle Eastern Studies and Professor of Persian Language, Literature, and Culture at the University of Maryland
Dr. Bijan Khajehpour, Manager and founding partner of consulting firm Atieh International
Reza Zarghamee, Author of Discovering Cyrus: The Persian Conqueror Astride the Ancient World
New Opportunities for Human Rights in Iran
Mehrangiz Kar, attorney, writer, and activist
Mohammad Nourizad, Iranian journalist, filmmaker, and political advocate
Sarah Leah Whitson, Director, Human Right’s Watch Middle East and North Africa Division
Photos
Click Here for NIAC’s photo album on Facebook from our 2013 Conference!
Media Coverage
BBC Persian, C-SPAN, JTA, National Journal, Voice of Russia
Arms Control Association and National Iranian American Council Conference
Iran 2013: Making Diplomacy Work
November 26
Keynote Speech
Zbigniew Brezinski, former National Security Adviser, 1977-1981
Panel Discussion
Rolf Ekeus, Former Head of the United Nations Special Commission on Iraq
Ahmad Sadri, James P. Gorter Chair of Islamic World Studies Lake Forest College
James Walsh, Research Associate at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology’s Security Studies Program
Media Coverage
C-SPAN, Al-Monitor, Radio Free Europe, Inter Press Service, RT, Lobe Log Foreign Policy
2012 Leadership Conference
September 30 – October 2
Sanctions Briefing: Are Iran Sanctions Worse than Iraq?
Eric Ferrari, Washington-Based Sanctions Attorney and Expert
Justin Logan, Director of Foreign Policy Studies at the Cato Institute
Sanam Anderlini, International Civil society Action Network
U.S. and Iran: On the Path to War?
Farideh Farhi, University of Hawaii Scholar
Honorable Robert Hunter, Former US Ambassador to NATO
Honorable Thomas Pickering, Former Ambassador to Israel and Under Secretary of State for Political Affairs
The Iranian People’s Quest for Democracy – The Role of the Diaspora
Maziar Bahari, Journalist and Filmmaker
Nazila Fathi, Former Tehran-based Journalist for the NY Times
Ramin Jahenbegloo, University of Toronto Professor, Author, Prominent Iran Scholar
Bijan Khajehpour, Political and Economic Analyst, and Chairman of Atieh International
Reinventing the Wheel? What Iranian Americans Can Learn from other Communities
Tom Dine, Executive Director of the American Israeli Public Affairs Committee
James Zogby, President of the Arab American Institute
Aram Suren Hamparian, Executive Director of the Armenian National Committee of America
Videos
Highlight Video
Media Coverage
Antiwar.com; The American Conservative: The Guardian
The Day After Baghdad: Assessing the Iran Nuclear Talks
May 23, 2012
PJ Crowley, Former Assistant Secretary of State
Bijan Khajehpour, Political and Economic Analyst, and Chairman of Atieh International
Aaron David Miller, Distinguished Scholar at Woodrow Wilson International Center for Scholars
George Perkovich, Director of the Nuclear Policy Program at the Carnegie Endowment for International Peace
Media Coverage
LinkTV broadcast; Antiwar.com
The Iranian Nuclear Dilemma: Risk of an Iraq Sequel?
February 21, 2012
Hans Blix, Former Director General of the IAEA
Colin Kahl, Former Deputy Assistant Secretary of Defense for the Middle East
Robert Kelley, Former Chief Inspector for the IAEA in Iraq
Media Coverage
LinkTV broadcast; WSJ; IPS; Antiwar.com
2011 Leadership Conference
October 2 – 4
U.S.-Iran Relations: Opportunities and Set Backs from the Washington insider’s Perspective
John Limbert, Deputy Assistant Secretary of State for Iran Ambassador
Ramin Asgard, VOA Persian News Network Director
Dr. Jim Walsh, Massachusetts Institute of Technology’s Security Studies Program
Rouzbeh Parsi, European Union Institute for Security Studies
The Iranian American Experience: Overcoming Obstacles and Celebrating Success
Erich Ferrari, Sanctions Attorney and Expert
Darius Shahinfar, Former Congressional Candidate
Reza Marashi, NIAC Research Director
The Impact of Sanctions on Iran, the U.S., and the Global Economy
Bijan Khajehpour, Managing Partner Atieh International
Robert Pape, Political Scientist University of Chicago
Lucian Pugliaresi, President Energy Policy Research Foundation
Videos
Highlight Video
Alan Eyre Dinner Keynote Address
Media Coverage
IIP Digital: Voice of America
Answering the Iranian People’s Call for Human Rights
March 15, 2011
Congressional Remarks
Rep. Keith Ellison (D-MN)
Panelists
Suzanne Nossel, Deputy Assistant Secretary
Jonas Hafström, Swedish Ambassador to U.S.
Nazila Fathi, Former Iran-Based New York Times correspondent and Fellow at the Nieman Foundation
Prof. Nader Hashemi, Assistant Professor and Director of the Center for Middle East Studies at the Josef Korbel School of
International Studies
Alireza Nader, RAND International Policy Analyst
Sarah Leah Whitson, Human Rights Watch MENA division
Media Coverage
Yahoo News: U.N. rights body votes to appoint Iran human rights monitor,
America.gov Proposal at U.N. Body Puts Focus on Iran’s Human Rights Record,
Ground Report: Iran Says No to Human Rights Investigator;
State Dept: Holding Iran Accountable for its Human Rights Record
Iran at a Crossroads: Assessing a Changing Landscape
March 10, 2010
Congressional Remarks
Rep. Anna Eshoo (D-CA)
Rep. Keith Ellison (D-MN)
Video of Congressional Remarks
| A Century Old Struggle for DemocracyProf. Ahmad Karimi-Hakkak, University of Maryland Prof. Scott Lucas, University of Birmingham, UK Prof. Muhammad Sahimi, University of Southern California Moderator: Neil MacFarquhar, Author, The Media Relations Department of Hizbollah Wishes You a Happy BirthdayPanel Summary; Panel Video |
The US and Iran: Back to Confrontation?Prof. Juan Cole, University of Michigan Amb. Robert Hunter, RAND Corporation Robert Malley, International Crisis Group Moderator: Dr. Trita Parsi, NIAC PresidentPanel Summary; Panel Video |
The US & Iran: Human Rights, Diplomacy, & Sanctions
November 4, 2009
| Human Rights and the Battle for IranProf. Mehrzad Boroujerdi, Syracuse University Geneive Abdo, The Century Foundation Dr. Hadi Ghaemi, International Campaign for Human Rights in IranPanel Summary |
Assessing Obama’s DiplomacyAmb. John Limbert, US Naval Academy Amb. Thomas Pickering, Former Undersecretary of State Greg Thielmann, Arms Control AssociationPanel Summary |
Conference Video; Conference Transcript
The US & Iran: Between Elections and Enrichment
June 17, 2009
Congressional Remarks
Rep. Gregory Meeks (D-NY)
Rep. John Tierney (D-MA)
| Reassessing Inspections and VerificationDr. David Kay, Former Weapons Inspector, Iraq Amb. François Nicoullaud, Former French Ambassador to Iran (2001-2005) Bruno Pellaud, Former Head of IAEA Safeguards Moderator: Glenn Kessler, The Washington Post |
A Conversation on the Iranian ElectionsProf. Ali Akbar Mahdi, Ohio Wesleyan University Hooman Majd, Author, The Ayatollah Begs to Differ Dr. Suzanne Maloney, The Brookings Institution Moderator: Nisid Hajari, Foreign Editor, Newsweek |
Can Obama Untangle the Iranian Challenge?
Prospects for a New Iran Policy
November 18, 2008
Congressional Remarks
Senator Thomas Carper (D-DE)
Senator Arlen Specter (R-PA)
Rep. John Tierney (D-MA)
The Future of US-Iran Policy: An Agenda for Change
Amb. James Dobbins, Former Assistant Secretary of State
Dr. Farideh Farhi, University of Hawaii
Joseph Cirincione, The Ploughshares Fund
Breaking the US-Iran Stalemate
April 8, 2008
Congressional Remarks
Senator Dianne Feinstein (D-CA)
| New Majles, New ChallengesScott Peterson, Christian Science Monitor Prof. Ahmad Sadri, Lake Forest College Barbara Slavin, USIP/USA TodayPanel Summary; Panel Video |
Beyond Zero Enrichment: Finding the Nuclear FixDr. Hans Blix, Former Director General, International Atomic Energy Agency Amb. Thomas Pickering, Former Undersecretary of State Dr. David Albright, Institute for Science and International SecurityPanel Summary; Panel Video |
Human Rights In Iran and U.S. Policy Options
July 26, 2007
Congressional Remarks
Rep. Jim Moran (D-VA)
Rep. Mike Honda (D-CA)
Rep. Tom Tancredo (R-CO)
Panelists
Alex Arriaga, Amnesty International
Joe Stork, Human Rights Watch
John Tirman, MIT
Laura Secor, The New Yorker
US-Iran Relations: Collision, Stand-off, or Convergence?
March 27, 2007
Congressional Remarks
Rep. Jane Harman (D-CA)
Panelists
Joseph Cirincione, Center for American Progress
Bruno Pellaud, Former Deputy Chief of Safeguards at the IAEA to Italian Ministry of Foreign Affairs
Steve Clemons, American Strategy Program, New America Foundation
Francis Fukuyama, Johns Hopkins University
Flynt Leverett, Former National Security Council Official
Col. Lawrence Wilkerson, General Colin Powell’s Chief of Staff
The Honorable Matthew Levitt, Washington Institute for Near East Policy and Former Deputy Assistant Secretary for Intelligence & Analysis
Daniel Levy, New America Foundation; former advisor to Israeli Prime Minister Ehud Barak