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Equitable Immigration
The Diversity Visa: Your Questions Answered
Trump and his Muslim ban are gone, but the damaging impact lingers on for many. This includes thousands of individuals selected for diversity visas during the Trump administration who were blocked from securing their promised visa by the Muslim ban and other Trump immigration orders. However, the fight for justice has continued, with the House Appropriations committee passing two recent amendments to rectify the issue.
Check out our newest explainer for a breakdown of everything you need to know--and how you can get involved to ensure that all those blocked by Trump's immigration orders are granted the visas promised to them.
📰 Read our full explainer here >
🚨Take Action! Urge Congress to grant visas to those blocked by Trump’s ban >
Spotlighting Human Rights in Iran
As Khuzestan enters its seventh day of protests over devastating water shortages, Iranian security forces continue to crackdown brutally on protestors and throttle internet speed to cover up their blatant human rights violations and intimidate their already-suffering population. NIAC unequivocally denounces the actions of the Iranian government in repressing the protests in Iran and implores the Iranian government to halt the violence, honor their basic human rights commitments and provide their citizens with necessities like clean water and electricity. Read More >
On Tuesday, July 13th, a New York federal court unsealed the indictment of a group of Iranian nationals who were charged with conspiracies related to kidnapping, sanctions violations, and more in a plot to abduct Brooklyn-based Iranian activist Masih Alinejad. NIAC supports Alinejad’s right to freedom of expression and condemns threats against her and all members of civil society. The ability to engage in peaceful discourse to debate political differences is paramount in a democracy, and a right that is denied to Iranians by their government. Read more >
📖 Read more from our Human Rights Tracker >
➡️ Follow NIAC's Human Rights Tracker on Twitter >
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Advancing Peace & Diplomacy
Iran Nuclear Negotiations Stall, Expected to Resume Under Raisi Administration
The Iran nuclear deal hit its six-year anniversary last week in the midst of stalled negotiations in Vienna, where signatories of the deal have held six rounds of talks aimed at bringing the U.S. and Iran back into compliance with the JCPOA. Iranian officials indicated that the Rouhani administration would not conclude the negotiations and would resume once Iranian President-elect Ebrahim Raisi takes over. And while a date for the seventh round of talks has yet to be set, a swift, compliance-for-compliance return is still on the table and can be concluded with sufficient political will.
Diplomacy between the U.S. and Iran remains imperative to bolstering American security interests, while alleviating the Iranian peoples' suffering resulting from U.S. sanctions. Just as the nuclear deal is the best option to reduce risks of war and nuclear proliferation for the United States, it is the best option for significant sanctions relief that can better the lives of the Iranian people. Unfortunately, the longer the talks drag, the greater the likelihood that the diplomatic process collapses.
This is why NIAC remains dedicated to advancing peace between the U.S. and Iran and will continue our work in the weeks to come to ensure diplomacy remains at the forefront of Biden's Iran-approach. We hope to see the talks resumed without delay and urge all parties to save this significant and historic deal that has defied the odds to date.
Learn More:
🎧 Listen: NIAC's Ryan Costello joins "Press the Button" to discuss the state of JCPOA negotiations >
📰 Read: NIAC Urges Continued US-Iran Engagement over Nuclear Deal
Community & Culture
Have You Taken NIAC Action's 2021 Survey?
We want to hear from you! That's why each year, NIAC Action looks to our community to take a survey to guide our advocacy priorities and goals for the year. And with so much hanging in the balance for the Iranian-American community, your voice is more important than ever. Filling out the survey takes only a few minutes and is invaluable in ensuring that the issues and priorities most pressing to our community are at the forefront of our work. Make your voice heard and share your thoughts with us today!
✏️ Take the 30 second survey now >
From Our Staff
July Could Be the Last Month to Save the Iran Nuclear Deal
Ryan Costello for Defense One
Then-candidate Biden was relatively clear on the Iran nuclear deal. If Iran restored its compliance with the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action, or JCPOA, the U.S. would do so as well as a starting point for further negotiations. After a slow start, the U.S. engaged in multilateral negotiations aimed at reviving the accord under President Biden’s direction earlier this year. Yet, nearly half a year into Biden’s presidency, the deal is not secured and the administration may be beginning to doubt whether Iran intends to restore its compliance with the accord. Read the full article >
Ending forever wars must include economic warfare
Assal Rad for Responsible Statecraft
Ending endless war has become an ever-present catchphrase, employed by Republicans and Democrats alike, to appeal to the majority of Americans who wish to see an end to ineffective U.S. wars and adventurism across the world, and better use of their hard-earned tax dollars. But, while we may think of war to mean military incursions, bombs and fighting, there is an aspect to U.S. warfare that is too-often absent from the discussion: economic warfare. Read the full article >
Iran Unfiltered: Protests Across Khuzestan Over Water Shortage
Protests over a water shortage crisis have erupted across Khuzestan province. Videos on social media show authorities clamping down with force, with several protestors having been confirmed killed. Meanwhile, the Rouhani administration’s spokesperson blames an Iranian law for preventing a deal in Vienna, while another government official blames the United States. Iran is also experiencing another wave of COVID-19 infections and deaths.
📖 Read the latest Iran Unfiltered >
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