NIAC Condemns Khamenei’s Ban on “English and American” COVID Vaccines
Over 50,000 Iranians have died from COVID-19 according to official figures, and reliable sources say the real figure could be twice or three times as high. Iranians desperately need access to vaccines from as many safe sources as possible. Yet, last week, Ayatollah Khamenei outrageously banned “English and American” vaccines, which could prove fatal to many Iranians.
NIAC strongly condemns Khamenei’s decision to put politics and ideology over science and the health and well being of the Iranian people. In this moment of immense pain for the Iranian people, no government edict or international sanctions should block access to vaccines. NIAC reiterates its call, and works daily in Washington to ensure, that U.S. policy does not prevent Iranians from accessing medicine or the resources necessary to combat the coronavirus. Similarly, NIAC urges in the strongest possible terms that the Iranian government must not inhibit access to vital life-saving medicines for the Iranian people.
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Khamenei Bans U.S. and U.K. Covid Vaccines to Iran
Dr. Assal Rad for NIAC's Human Rights Tracker
A Big Welcome to Our Newest Teammate!
We're excited to announce a new addition to the NIAC team! Nilofar Ganjaie is joining as NIAC Action's Deputy Executive Director. Niloufar, who previously served on the NIAC Action Board of Directors since 2019, is an experienced political strategist, campaign manager, and community organizer from Seattle.
Before joining NIAC, she worked as the Political & Communications Director for the Washington Senate Democrats, managed and worked on winning campaigns for local legislative races, and worked for years as a field organizer for Planned Parenthood. Nilofar earned a Bachelor of Arts from Western Washington University, where she double majored in Political Science and Human Services.
Unmute Yourself: The First 100 Days
Expert Letters Calls for Return to Iran Deal
فارسی
With Trump poised to leave the White House in less than a week, NIAC worked with over 50 national security and foreign policy experts to send a letter to President-elect Joe Biden urging a quick return to the Iran nuclear deal and emphasizing the need for the U.S. to ease sanctions hampering Iran's ability to combat COVID-19.
The letter includes signatories such as Ambassadors James Dobbins and Thomas Pickering, leading political scientists Robert Jervis and Stephen Walt, and prominent Iran analysts Ellie Geranmayeh and Dina Esfandiary. You can read the letter in English here and Persian here.
Make sure to also check out media coverage of the letter below!
