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June 1, 2018

Response to False FBI Rumors

There increasingly appears to be a coordinated campaign to promote U.S.-led regime change in Iran and to discredit Iranian-American voices who may oppose the regime but do not support war or sanctions. This has included a new rumor campaign aimed at NIAC claiming we have been targeted by the FBI – which is 100% false.

In recent months we have observed an escalation of verbal attacks and intimidation efforts against pro-peace Iranian-American voices on social media; we have learned that Black Cube, a Mossad-link firm in Israel, conducted “dirty ops” against Obama Administration officials – allegedly at the behest of an official within the Trump Administration; we have seen National Security Advisor John Bolton’s think tank promote IRGC propaganda points attacking NIAC and endangering Iranian Americans detained in Iran; and we have noted the rising influence of the MEK, which is closely linked to top officials in the Trump Administration.

As you may know, the Mossad-linked firm Black Cube targeted NIAC in its failed efforts to obtain information that could be used to smear Obama Administration officials. In addition to what has been reported publicly, last November NIAC’s offices were broken into and two computers were stolen. We have been working with law enforcement to get to the bottom of this criminal act and have strong reasons to believe this was a politically motivated effort by some group or individuals intent on attacking our organization.

Now it has come to our attention that some individuals have begun spreading a false rumor that NIAC’s offices were raided by the FBI. This is absolutely, 100% false. We are fortunate enough to live in a country where law enforcement must operate within the law. The FBI obtains search warrants to conduct searches, they don’t secretly raid offices outside of the rule of law. The fact that some element – perhaps from within our community, perhaps from outside of it – has spread this ridiculous rumor is deeply troubling. They think our community is naive, doesn’t understand how American laws work, and can be easily preyed on so that we turn against one another rather than uniting to defend our interests.

We do not know who initiated this rumor campaign, and if this is the same group or individuals who burglarized our office, but we do know this: efforts to spread misinformation and lie to our community in order to turn us against one another are a major element of the campaign to weaken and divide Iranian Americans so that we do not have a voice to stand up for our interests of peace and organic change in Iran from within, not a repeat of US-led regime change efforts such as in Iraq or Libya.

We encourage members of our community to be vigilant. As we have learned over the past two years, “fake news” and the spread of propaganda through social networks and whisper campaigns can have an immensely corrosive effect on our society and our democracy. If you have a question about NIAC, ask us. If you hear news that is suspicious, confirm before you share. And, perhaps most importantly, we must not allow these efforts to silence us or scare the majority of our community who opposes war into quiet submission. We must continue to organize and mobilize in support of peace and against fringe elements inside and outside of our community who want to impose their views on our community and the Iranian people.

برای خواندن نسخه فارسی این نامه، به وب سایت ما مراجعه کنید.
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