An email from NIAC

 What's New at NIAC? 

NIAC Challenges Flight Ban on Iranian Student Visa Holders

NIAC is deeply concerned by reports that a large number of Iranian students with visas were barred from boarding their flights at the last minute by the Trump administration. The students were fully vetted and set to study in the United States during the fall semester, and now have had their futures thrown into disarray with no explanation from either the State Department or Department of Homeland Security. 

The Trump Administration must provide a full and transparent accounting of what is behind these recent actions. NIAC is working with several of those impacted, as well as Congress, regarding these cases. We will keep working to ensure that this, and all bans imposed by the Trump administration on Iranian nationals, are lifted once and for all. Learn more here >>

🚨 Have you been impacted? If you received a visa to study in the United States, but were turned away before boarding a flight or upon entry to the U.S., please fill out this form to help NIAC track and challenge the administration's latest discriminatory actions. Fill out the form here >>

NIAC Action Joins 60+ Organizations to Call for AUMF Repeal

Over the next few weeks, Congress will negotiate the final details of an annual defense policy bill. Those negotiations will determine the fate of several amendments that passed the House of Representatives. This week, NIAC Action joined more than 60 organizations in signing a letter calling on Congressional negotiators to support the repeal of the 2002 authorization for use of military force (AUMF) that authorized the George W. Bush administration’s invasion of Iraq.

The Trump administration has held open the possibility that it could use the AUMF as a green light for war with Iran. NIAC Action supported the amendment, which passed the House and is now a subject for negotiations with the Senate for final passage. We will continue to track these amendments and argue forcefully for Congress to make clear that Trump cannot take us to an unauthorized war with Iran.

📩 Learn more and read the full letter here >>

NIAC Action Joins 20+ NGOs to Urge Congress: Cut ICE & CBP Funding

NIAC Action joined a group of over 200 organizations calling on Congress to cut funding for the Department of Homeland Security’s (DHS) detention, enforcement, and border militarization programs as well as to ensure that funds are not abused by the administration. 

From the Muslim Ban to locking kids in cages, the Trump administration has profoundly damaged America’s immigration policies and moral standing. Yet, the President has encountered minimal resistance from Congress as budgets for Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) and Customs and Border Protection (CBP) continue to rise in spite of the horrific abuses they perpetrate. 

📝 Read the full text of the letter here >>

 Our Updates 

🎉 Welcome to the Team!  🎉

We're so happy to welcome Shervin Ghaffari to the NIAC team as our new Policy Associate! 

"I am excited to have joined NIAC in order to help provide the debate about Iran and the Middle East with strong Iranian-American voices and analysis. I am looking forward to helping the organization achieve its policy objectives and change the conversation about Iran and the region."

Shervin graduated with a Masters from Johns Hopkins with a concentration in Middle East Studies and International Economics. Prior to his graduate studies, he was an organizer during the 2016 Presidential campaign and also spent time at the Council on Foreign Relations.

📖 Read his full bio here >>

Spotlighting Human Rights in Iran: The Tragedy of Blue Girl

For many Iranians, sports, especially soccer, are a source of great pride and joy. While Iranian fans gleefully cheer on their men’s soccer team in Iran’s stadiums, Iranian women are painfully absent from the scene. Some Iranian women have defied this restriction by dressing as men and sneaking into stadiums, an act for which they have been arrested.

One such brave woman, Sahar Khodayari, also known as “Blue Girl”, was arrested in March for attempting to enter a stadium to watch a match. Sahar's health drastically declined while in custody and after reportedly hearing that she would have to serve six months in prison, Sahar set herself on fire in an attempted suicide. We join millions of people across the world to mourn this tragic loss.

NIAC unequivocally condemns the government of Iran for their continued crackdown on women. We further condemn the unjust arrest of Sahar for doing nothing more than attempting to watch the sport she loved.

📍Read more about Sahar here >>

📍Check out our full Human Rights Tracker here >>

#ICYMI: Check out our #IAAuthor Series! 📚

Last month, we profiled four amazing Iranian-American writers who use their craft to inspire, teach, unite, and delight. 

As best selling writer Firoozeh Dumas, author of Funny in Farsi, shared with us in an interview, writing and art reaches people in a different way:

"When a 12 year old reads a book about an Iranian family and connects with that book, that same 12 year old is going to grow up to be an adult who is not going to jump on the hatred bandwagon. Without books what we’re left with is people finding out about each other through the evening news, and we know what a disaster that is.”

📖 Check out our full list of #IAAuthor profiles and interviews here >>

From the Press Room  📰

➡️ NIAC Congratulates Trump for Firing Bolton

🔖 Quoted: NIAC President Jamal Abdi in The Guardian >>

➡️ Statement on Iran’s Intent to Reduce Compliance with Nuclear Deal 

➡️ NIAC Congratulates Sharif University Students on 2019 AIAA Win

 From Our Staff 

NIAC's Senior Research Analyst Sina Toossi speaks with an outstanding group of students from Syracuse University at CSIS about the current state of U.S.-Iran relations, how we got here, and where we might be going.

Articles & Analysis 🖋️

Trump’s Iran Policy Needs a History Lesson 
Dr. Assal Rad for The National Interest 
"The legacy of Hossein is still invoked as a source of strength when Iranians face insurmountable challenges, such as threats of war. While President Donald Trump may claim that a war with Iran would not “last very long,” U.S. policy decisions do not exist in a vacuum. 
📌 Read the article here >>

Trump Provoked A Crisis With Iran, And Now May Try To Solve It 
Ryan Costello for Lobe Log 
"Trump’s firing of John Bolton has single-handedly dealt a two-pronged blow to those in Washington who sought to maneuver him into a devastating war with Iran. Not only has the likelihood of conflict gone down with Bolton dismissed from the White House, but the odds of negotiations that take war off the table have significantly increased."
📌 Read the article here >>

Iran Unfiltered - Iran Reacts to Bolton’s Ouster & the Blue Girl’s Death 
Sina Toossi 
In this week's edition of Iran Unfiltered, Sina Toossi explores the tragedy of the Blue Girl, the Iranian response to Bolton's ouster, details surrounding Iran's JCPOA compliance reductions, and much more. 
📌Read the digest here >>

 

NIAC in the News 📰

📺 Watch: NIAC President Jamal Abdi joins Al Jazeera English to discuss how U.S. sanctions aim to scuttle talks with Iran. Watch the segment here >>

🎤 Watch: Senior Research Associate Sina Toossi speaks with TRT World about Iran's latest breaches of the nuclear deal. Watch the clip here >> 

📺 Watch: Jamal Abdi joins i24's THE RUNDOWN to analyze John Bolton's dismissal as National Security Advisor. Watch the video here >> 

🎤 Watch: Sina Toossi joins EWTN to analyze Rouhani demand that the U.S. lift sanctions before attempting to faciliate talks. Watch the interview here >>

🎧 Listen: Sina Toossi joins the Delete Your Account podcast to discuss escalating U.S.-Iran tensions. Listen to the episode here >>

📻 Listen: Research Fellow Dr. Assal Rad joins Wider View Radio in a segment about the state of U.S.-Iran relations. Listen to the show here >>

🔖 Quoted: Dr. Assal Rad in The Independent: “National Security Advisor John Bolton has long advocated war and regime change in Iran. It's time for President Trump to fire Bolton and surround himself with advisors that have the same goals of diplomacy." Read the article here >>

🗞️ Quoted: Sina Toossi in Middle East Eye: "Even if Trump is willing to do some kind of sanctions-relief or reduce sanctions, the key thing is that it has to materialise before any kind of meeting sit-down or negotiations. That can't just be a promise." Read the piece here >>

🔖 Quoted: Sina Toossi in The National Interest: Rouhani initially hinted that he was open to direct leader-to-leader negotiations. “If I know that I go [to] a meeting and see someone and in the end the country can get prosperous and the people’s problems solved, I won’t hesitate. This is our main national interest," he said, according to a translation by Sina Toossi. Read more here >>

 Events 

✨ Join Us Across the U.S. for NIAC's Annual Galas!  ✨

Our annual galas are coming up fast! Join us at our Sapphire Gala in Los Angeles on September 21, our Ruby Gala in New York on September 26, and our Diamond Gala in Washington DC on October 19 for an evening of food, drink, amazing keynote speakers, and entertainment.

🎟️ Check the links below to purchase your tickets, and stay tuned for more about our upcoming gala in San Francisco!

💎 Sapphire Gala: Los Angeles - September 21

💎 Ruby Gala: New York - September 26

💎 Diamond Gala: Washington DC - October 19
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