Advancing Peace & Diplomacy
With the help of our grassroots chapter members and coalition partners, this month we:
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Generated hundreds of calls and thousands of digital actions calling on congress to avoid another war.
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Met with over 70 Members of Congress to push for a resealing of the Iran nuclear deal.
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Gathered 1,474 signatures on our petition to #ReSealTheDeal
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Last week, famed Iranian singer Alireza Ghorbani was on his way from Canada to perform at a Norooz concert in Southern California when he was detained, interrogated, and ultimately refused entry by U.S. officials. Why? In 2019, as part of the blanket sanctions imposed on Iran as part of his "maximum pressure" campaign, Donald Trump broke with decades of warnings from the Pentagon and took the unprecedented step of imposing terrorism sanctions reserved for non-state actors like Al Qaeda on the Iranian Revolutionary Guard Corps. Now, this symbolic designation is having real world consequences for Iranians who were conscripted into the IRGC over the last four decades but have no connection to the group. And whether the U.S. lifts the designation may be the final stumbling block for the Iran nuclear negotiations.
LA Times: Iranian vocalist, headliner at Segerstrom Nowruz celebration interrogated, denied U.S. entry
"The fact we’re applying this to a foreign military and people who’ve been out of the IRGC for decades underscores how they need to revisit these policies,” said NIAC Policy Director Ryan Costello. “For [Ghorbani] to be denied is really an outrage. It reads from the outset like a miscarriage of justice and an insult.”
NIAC's letter to the Biden Administration over detention and interrogation of famed singer Alireza Ghorbani.
"The fact we’re applying this to a foreign military and people who’ve been out of the IRGC for decades underscores how they need to revisit these policies,” said NIAC Policy Director Ryan Costello. “For [Ghorbani] to be denied is really an outrage. It reads from the outset like a miscarriage of justice and an insult.” On Thursday, March 31st NIAC sent a letter to the State Department and Department of Homeland Security expressing deep concern over the detention and interrogation of famed Iranian singer Alireza Ghorbani. Read More
Learn More ➜
➡️ NIAC Policy Director Ryan Costello discusses IRGC Designation in Al Jazeera
Building Political Power
We are proud to announce the two newest members of the NIAC Action Board. The winners of the election are Sarah Sakha and Maryam Attarpour!
Thank you to everyone who voted and congratulations to Sarah and Maryam! Stay tuned for NIAC Action endorsement updates as we look ahead to the 2022 Election cycle!
Wishing a special thank you to our Los Angeles Chapter Leadership Council for highlighting the achievements of Iranian-American women each week this past month honoring Women’s History Month!
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