President's Message
Dear John,
Last week, The New York Times [[link removed]] and Ha'aretz [[link removed]] revealed that the Israeli government has been illegally targeting U.S. elected officials and civil society organizations in influence operations involving smears, fraudulent social media accounts and fake websites.
This comes as little surprise to many of us in the Iranian-American community who have advocated for diplomacy and de-escalation, or opposed sanctions and collective punishment, and have been subjected to online attacks. There has long been evidence that these campaigns are carried out by artificially amplified accounts and bots linked to Israel, Iran, Saudi Arabia, and others. Now, we have the first ironclad proof of the Israeli government's role in conducting online influence operations in America to manipulate public debate in the U.S. Middle East policy.
It is a sign of our impact that state-backed actors need to turn to online disinformation campaigns to try to silence our efforts for peace. But now it is incumbent on our government to protect its citizens and civil society from foreign governments attempting to interfere in and manipulate our democratic process.
We will be working in the weeks ahead to demand accountability and to get to the bottom of these nefarious state-backed campaigns. Make no mistake, these influence operations are indicative of the massive interests we are up against – interests that want to see the U.S. and Israel go to war with Iran at any cost. But with this latest revelation, there may finally be an opportunity to decisively combat these practices.
We will keep you up to date on these efforts, and please read on for an update on some of our work over the past month.
- Jamal Abdi
Peace and Diplomacy
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Do Iranian Americans Have a Stake in the War in Gaza? [[link removed]]
By NIAC President, Jamal Abdi
The United States government has provided billions of dollars in weaponry being used to kill civilians, along with logistical support and political cover for Israel and Netanyahu to sustain the assault. That means this war is not some distant crisis that is disconnected from the lives of Americans – it is taking place in our names, with the support of our elected government, and with our tax dollars. For Iranian Americans, there are even more ways this war touches our lives – with implications for war or peace with Iran and the use of collective punishment sanctions that punish ordinary Iranians. Advocating for a ceasefire is not just the moral thing to do, as over 36,000 Palestinians have been killed with little end in sight, it is an urgent and necessary demand for Iranian Americans and all Americans to make of our democratically elected government.
Read More
NIAC Joins Over 100 Organizations to Call for UNRWA Restoration [[link removed]]
NIAC Joins 180+ Organizations to Call on U.S. Universities to End Crackdown on Student Protests in Solidarity with Gaza [[link removed]]
Protecting Civil Rights
Representative Ilhan Omar (D-MN) and Senator Elizabeth Warren (D-MA) Lead Against Banking Discrimination [[link removed]]
For years, Iranian Americans, Iranian nationals, and other minorities have been discriminated against by U.S. financial institutions that close or restrict their accounts with little to no warning. This process, done in an apparent overcompliance with broad sanctions on Iran, is known as “de-risking.” These incidents have been well documented, with closures impacting students [[link removed]] far removed from financial support, individuals closing on a home or expecting a child [[link removed]] , or even just friends paying each other back via mobile apps [[link removed]] for Iranian food. Thankfully, Sen. Warren and Rep. Omar are doubling down on demands to reduce the negative impacts of de-risking.
California MENA Civil Rights Coalition Statement on AB 2763 Being Held in Suspense [[link removed]]
While the establishment of a MENA category in the U.S. Census has finally been secured, efforts to build on this progress at the state level have been held in suspense in California amidst budgetary concerns. NIAC, alongside the California MENA Civil Rights Coalition representing over twenty MENA-founded and MENA-serving organizations have expressed profound disappointment with the California Assembly Appropriations Committee's decision, but remain resolute in our commitment to securing representation for Middle Eastern and North African communities.
Read the full coalition statement here [[link removed]] .
Iran Unfiltered
Iran’s Presidential Election: Unexpected Qualification of Masoud Pezeshkian [[link removed]]
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Iran’s Ministry of Interior has announced the qualified presidential candidates , propelling campaigns into full swing with six contenders approved by the Guardian Council. The candidates include Masoud Pezeshkian, Mostafa Pourmohammadi, Saeed Jalili, Alireza Zakani, Amir Hossein Ghazizadeh Hashemi, and Mohammad Bagher Ghalibaf. This election is precipitated by President Ebrahim Raisi's death in a helicopter crash. Among the disqualified are prominent figures like Ali Larijani, Eshaq Jahangiri, and Mahmoud Ahmadinejad. One of the most unexpected outcomes has been Masoud Pezeshkian's approval.
Read the full article [[link removed]] .
Iran Unfiltered is a digest tracking Iranian politics & society by the National Iranian American Council 📥 Subscribe to receive Iran Unfiltered in your inbox > [[link removed]]
Human Rights Tracker
Endurance Behind Bars: The Ongoing Struggle of Zia Nabavi in Prison [[link removed]]
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Zia Nabavi, a seasoned political activist and former student leader, finds himself once again within the confines of Evin Prison, facing relentless accusations and prolonged imprisonment.
The National Iranian American Council (NIAC) strongly condemns Nabavi’s repeated imprisonment for engaging in political protests and calls upon the Iranian government to release Nabavi along with all other political prisoners. NIAC emphasizes the urgent need for reforms within the Iranian judicial and prison systems to better protect the health and well-being of those subjected to imprisonment. Moreover, NIAC urges the management of Evin Prison to acknowledge and address the presence of scabies, criticizing the current conditions as unfit and inhumane. Instead of punishing prisoners and denying the existence of health issues, authorities have an obligation to maintain a clean, disease-free environment that upholds the dignity and health of all inmates.
Read Past Issues of NIAC's Human Rights Tracker Here >> [[link removed]]
📥 Subscribe to receive the Human Rights Tracker in your inbox > [[link removed]] >
Community & Culture
In the spirit of community, NIAC chapters across the country host regular happy hours, dinners, and events. Especially as we head into summer, our folks have been hosting more and more events, for example our LA chapter hosted a meetup with the Friends Committee on National Legislation (FCNL) in Pasadena, CA, with chapter members and allies attending. We got to meet folks from Jewish Voice for Peace and Arab American Civic Council and had lots of great discussions. These kinds of things are happening all over the country and if you don’t see them happening near you reach out so we can help!
*
If
you’re
in
the
Bay
Area,
RSVP
here
[[link removed]]
to
join
our
upcoming
chapter
happy
hour
on
Sunday,
July
14
at
3pm
PT.


*
If
you’re
in
the
Chicago
area
,
our
chapter
is
holding
a
summer
picnic
on
Sunday,
July
21
at
12pm
CT-4pm
CT,
RSVP
here
[[link removed]]
.


>> Interested in connecting with your local NIAC chapter? Click here to sign up to become a chapter member! [[link removed]]
Stay Engaged
Follow NIAC on TikTok [[link removed]] , Twitter [[link removed]] , Instagram [[link removed]] , and Facebook [[link removed]] for the latest updates.
Support Our Work
Your continued support is crucial. Donate today to help us make a difference. [[link removed]]
Thank you for standing with us as we navigate these challenging times and strive for peace, justice, and human rights.
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