As the fourth round of talks in Vienna aiming to revive the Iran nuclear deal continue, the region has found itself embroiled in renewed violence and confrontation. A breakthrough is still possible ahead ofThe administration has rejected cynical calls to break off the negotiations, and a breakthrough is still possible ahead of in the days to come. However, recent signs indicate that the parties may not overcome remaining thorny issues until after the Iranian Presidential election on June 18th.
NIAC continues to press for more rapid progress, for the U.S. to put fulsome sanctions relief on the table and for Iran to return to its nuclear commitments in full. With sufficient political will, there is no good reason an agreement would have to wait until after Iran’s election, which could undermine progress to date.
📌 Read & watch more
Protecting Civil Rights
NIAC Continues to Engage PayPal and Venmo on Community’s Concerns with Account Freezes
The pervasive effect of sanctions is evident in everyday life for Iranian Americans. Stories of account freezes and bank account closures for Iranian Americans have proven all too common. One of the financial institutions responsible for many of the complaints from our members is Venmo, which routinely reviews transactions involving words with connections to sanctioned states.
While Venmo has acted in good faith and has tried to provide an explanation of its obligations and interpretations of U.S. sanctions law, it is clear to us that the origin of the Iranian-American community’s problems lies in the underlying sanctions regulations that have created an environment that supports fear and over-compliance.
Read more >
Spotlighting Human Rights in Iran
News surfaced in recent days that a young Iranian man had been murdered by his own family for being gay. According to reports, Fazeli Monfared’s brother and two of his cousins viciously murdered him on May 4th in the Southwestern region of Iran near Ahvaz, after discovering he had been exempted from military service in Iran due to his sexuality. While there are conflicting accounts as to whether or not Fazeli Monfared was beheaded, there is no question to the brutality and reprehensible nature of his death. Not only for the violent way in which he was killed, but also for the fact that he was murdered for being gay.
📖 Read more from our Human Rights Tracker >
➡️ Follow NIAC's Human Rights Tracker on Twitter >
📥 Subscribe to receive our Human Rights Tracker in your inbox >
Community & Culture
Our 2021 Virtual Gala was a Success!
On Thursday, May 6th, we hosted our 2021 Virtual Gala and it was a huge hit! Not only were we able to go beyond our $300,000 fundraising goal for the evening, we also connected with hundreds of our members online and experienced some incredible entertainment. If you missed the show no worries! We have the full program ready to view on YouTube, or you can re-watch whichever section you want in our Gala Playlist!
📹 Watch a playlist of our Gala videos here >
Join the 2021 Future Arts Awards
Our friends at Mozaik Fund, formerly the Neda Nobari Foundation, are hosting their 2nd annual arts contest! MOZAIK is asking U.S. artists to re-imagine democracy by centering the role of art in our everyday society. Submit to the 2nd Annual MOZAIK #FutureArtAwards: Re-Imagining Democracy—An arts-based exploration of the changing meanings, practices, paradoxes, and futures associated with Democracy. Winners and special mention artists receive $1,000-$2,000 awards and inclusion in the virtual exhibition, opening free to the public in June 2021. Artists must submit by May 30, 2021.
🎨 Learn more >
NIAC in the News
NIAC Signs Letter to Administration to Halt Illegal Palestinian Displacement
NIAC signed onto a letter from over 100 organizations urging the Biden administration to press for Israel to halt the illegal and forced displacement of Palestinian residents from Sheikh Jarrah, which precipitated the dangerous escalation of violence between Israelis and Palestinians that the world has witnessed this week. We condemn without reservation the violence from Israel’s armed forces, armed Palestinian groups like Hamas, and mob attacks that have targeted civilians along sectarian lines. Populations across the Middle East deserve peace and security, and only sincere diplomacy can deliver it.
We call on the Biden administration to immediately engage in more robust diplomacy, including a strong push for an immediate and unconditional ceasefire, necessary to address the root causes of the cycles of violence across the region.
🖊️ Read our statement here >
📰 Read the full article here >
Democrats, organizations push to end giving military-grade gear to police
NIAC was also proud to stand with Rep. Nydia Velzázquez (D-NY), 17 House co-sponsors, and 150 fellow organizations on a bill to repeal the program that allows the Pentagon to send excess equiment to local police departments across the country. Known as the 1033 program, the transfer of military-grade weapons and armory directly harms communities of color and such supplies are often used to violently supress peaceful protesters, as we seen before during protests in Ferguson, MO and Minneapolis, MN.
📰 Read the full article here >
From Our Staff
Why Biden should ignore the latest move to halt diplomacy with Iran
Jamal Abdi and Ryan Costello for Responsible Statecraft
Sen. Marco Rubio (R-Fla.) and the vast majority of the Republican senate caucus on Thursday sent a letter to President Biden... [calling for an] end the ongoing multiparty negotiations with Iran that seek to restore restrictions on Iran’s nuclear program and which are aimed at establishing a sustained diplomatic effort not just to resolve further challenges with Iran, but throughout the region. This desperate, opportunistic attempt to sabotage diplomacy in favor of confining the United States and the region to an endless cycle of violence is nothing new. Yet it comes as many of the letter’s signers have been promoting a fiction in recent months that peace is breaking out across the Middle East, thanks to Donald Trump. Read more >
Iran’s Hard-Liners Are Using a TV Thriller to Undermine Their Rivals
Sina Toossi for Foreign Policy
Amid diplomatic progress in Vienna to revive the deal and Iran’s fast-approaching presidential election, the country is seeing a surge of political jockeying as all sides seek to shape public opinion. Within this context, hard-line forces are making clear through shows like Gando that they seek the removal of their reformist and moderate rivals from Iran’s political landscape. Read more >
The Unmistakable Double Standard of US Foreign Policy
Assal Rad for Inkstick Media
The double standard with which Israel and Iran are treated is exemplified by the fact that while Iran must submit to inspections over its civilian nuclear program, which is legal under the Non-Proliferation Treaty that Iran is signatory to, Israel maintains an arsenal of nuclear weapons with no oversight or pushback. In the case of US efforts to restore the Iran deal, the double standard is unmistakable. Read more >
#ICYMI: Panel on "Options and Consequences for Iran's Upcoming Elections"
NIAC Senior Research Fellow Dr. Assal Rad joined Dr. Behrooz Ghamari-Tabrizi, Negar Mortazavi, and moderator, Professor Shibley Telhami, in a panel discussion hosted by Roshan Institute for Persian Studies at the University of Maryland to discuss the latest around the JCPOA and the implications of Iran's upcoming presidential elections.
Watch the discussion here >
Iran Unfiltered: Registration Period for Presidential Candidates Begins
In this week’s Iran Unfiltered, Presidential aspirants have begun registering with the Interior Ministry amid controversy over new criteria by the Guardian Council over who can run. Conservative and reformist analysts are debating who they think would fare best in the election, and the foreign ministry has confirmed talks with Saudi Arabia and says the U.S. accepts most of what Iran seeks in the Vienna talks.
📖 Read the latest Iran Unfiltered >
📥 Subscribe to receive Iran Unfiltered in your inbox >
Upcoming Events
🎤 NIAC Open Mic Poetry & Storytelling Nights
For the first time ever, NIAC San Francisco Bay Area chapter will be hosting our first Open Mic night on Thursday, May 20 at 6pm PT/9pm ET. The Open Mic events are open only to NIAC chapter members, so make sure to sign up to become a chapter member in order to receive your exclusive invite! Dr. Persis Karim, Director of the Center for Iranian Diaspora Studies at San Francisco State University, will be sharing her original work at the event. Join us to share your poems and short stories--or simply show-up to listen to some of our talented chapter members!
Now Hiring!
We’re still looking for new talent! NIAC has an opening for a crucial position to support the work we do every day for our Iranian-American community. If you’re interested in joining the team, check out a listing for our Finance and Administration Director role here.
🏢 Finance and Administration Director
