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The JCPOA survived a withering assault of Trump-era sanctions precisely because it remains strongly in the interest of all the parties that negotiated it, including the U.S. and Iran. Having come so far, no party can afford to let it slip away now.

This week, diplomats from Iran and the U.S. convened in Vienna and hopeful signs emerged that each side is moving towards returning to JCPOA compliance. In Iran, COVID-19 deaths are on the rise again and Rouhani blames sanctions for obstructing vaccine procurement. Meanwhile, an Iranian ship was attacked in the Red Sea, while officials are set to unveil new nuclear advances.

We write to outline our concern that Venmo and its parent company Paypal, Inc. have engaged in actions toward account holders with Iranian heritage that many in our community perceive as discrimination against their national origin or heritage. This includes freezing transactions and accounts for simple transactions involving keywords like “Iranian” or “Persian.” Additionally, we have received increasing reports that Venmo has been messaging Iranian Americans asking them to verify their identity, including by requesting copies of a government-issued ID. For those who fail to provide the information, their accounts are closed. 

The Namazi family issued another statement on April 3rd to mark 2,000 days that Siamak has spent, and continues to spend, in an Iranian prison. Not only has Siamak suffered the loss of his freedom and separation from his loved ones without cause—a painful injustice—he has also endured inhumane treatment, solitary confinement, and physical and psychological torment. Human rights advocates, U.S. officials, and American civil society organizations shared their support for the Namazi family on the terrible occasion and called for the release of Siamak Namazi and the rightful return of father and son home to the United States. Others whose unjust imprisonment overlapped with Siamak’s added their support, including Jason Rezaian and Dr. Kylie Moore-Gilbert who said Siamak’s release must be a priority of the Biden administration.

This week, reports suggested that Israel has been attacking Iranian ships since 2019. And, U.S. and Iranian officials continue to trade escalating barbs over the JCPOA and questions remain over frozen Iranian funds in South Korean banks. Please see our breakdown below: 

Join us for a conversation with policymakers, Internet freedom advocates, and tech industry leaders on the policies and actions the new administration and the tech industry can adopt to ensure the U.S. does not help silence Iranian voices. The panel will feature special remarks from Rep. Ro Khanna (D-CA) and a panel discussion with Mahsa Alimardani from ARTICLE19, Peter Micek of Access Now, Mike Linksvayer from GitHub, and Amir Rashidi from the Miaan Group, moderated by Mana Mostatabi of NIAC.