Will Trump ban Iranians from getting visas again? We anticipate that Iranian nationals will once again be banned from receiving visas for travel to the United States with the return of Donald Trump to the Presidency, along with other nationals. President-elect Trump vowed on the campaign trail to “bring back the travel ban,” which has […]

Multiple overlapping crises are coming to a head in Iran’s domestic and foreign policies as Donald Trump prepares for his second Presidential term in the United States. Inside of Iran, a years-long economic crisis combined with broader social conflict has created immense pressures on Iranian society, with the state struggling to address them under its […]

Congressman Jeff Van Drew has retracted his false and dangerous claim that an “Iranian mothership” was responsible for the alleged drones sighted in the airspace of New Jersey. NIAC urged that Congressman Van Drew correct his statement in a letter last Thursday, December 12. 

Washington, D.C. – National Iranian American Council (NIAC) President Jamal Abdi sent a letter to Rep. Jeff Van Drew (R-NC) today urging that he retract his false speculation on Fox News alleging that an “Iranian mothership” off the East Coast was sending drones into the airspace of New Jersey. This bizarre and false pronouncement on […]

Washington, DC – Section 5124 of the National Defense Authorization Act, an annual “must-pass” defense policy bill, contains provisions intended to support internet freedom in Iran. The National Iranian American Council views these provisions favorably, and has long worked to ensure that U.S. policy supports – rather than actively hinders – the ability of the […]

Washington, DC – NIAC Policy Director Ryan Costello issued the following statement regarding reports that Bashar Al Assad has fled Syria and the Assad family’s reign has collapsed:  “Assad’s government was a brutal dictatorship that engaged in heinous acts of repression and torture. We hope his fall can bring Syrians a government that respects their […]

Washington, DC – Jamal Abdi, President of the National Iranian American Council, issued the following statement amid reports that Israel and Lebanon have agreed to a ceasefire to halt the conflict that has claimed the lives of more than 3,700 in Lebanon: “We welcome the news of a ceasefire between Lebanon and Israel and hope […]

Not Going Back: Civil Rights, Immigration, and Representation in the Next Administration “This is an existential crisis because their message is ‘get out!’ I don’t know how to make that more clear.” warned Representative Gene Wu – a legislator in the Texas House of Representatives representing the 137th District – speaking on a panel addressing […]

Fractured Realities: Democracy in the Age of Foreign Influence, Billionaire Donors, and Disinformation “There’s two systems of justice in the U.S. when it comes to foreign influence – there’s one for America’s friends, there’s another for its enemies,” said Ben Freeman, Director of the Democratizing Foreign Policy program at the Quincy Institute. “And America’s friends […]

Diplomacy is Not a Dirty Word: The U.S., Iran and the Middle East “If you look at (Trump’s) record, I mean you could say maybe he is a president of peace and maybe that will be replicated in a second term, but the international environment now is much more complicated than it was in his […]

What Just Happened?: Assessing the 2024 Election Results and the Path Ahead “I think what Americans saw time and time again was an administration that was saying big things and was not delivering on those big things,” said Tariq Habash, Founder and Director of A New Policy. “You can’t say for 13 months that you’re […]