Salaam,
This year, our community endured the kinds of nightmares we once only warned about: a war unleashed on Iran that killed hundreds of civilians; the targeting and mass deportation of Iranians in the U.S.; our government suppressing dissent against war, genocide, and racism.
Yet instead of accepting defeat, people across generations and identities rose up. NIAC and our partners mobilized tens of thousands to the streets, confronted ICE’s assault on our communities, and pushed the war lobby into the light – fueling a new political movement that produced against-the-odds victories like Zohran Mamdani’s and proving a new way is possible.
For more than twenty years, NIAC has been our community’s defender and amplifier in Washington. And this year, when the unthinkable happened, we met the moment — organizing emergency briefings, driving thousands of messages to Congress, challenging ICE in court, and ensuring our community’s voice was heard nationwide.
This year proved something fundamental: even in our worst nightmares, we are not powerless. As we look ahead, we carry the conviction that our community will not be driven into the shadows, that we will meet intimidation with organization, and that peace will always have a voice in Washington.
With gratitude and determination,
Jamal Abdi
President, NIAC
About NIAC & NIAC Action
The National Iranian American Council (NIAC) and NIAC Action were founded on a simple theory of change: when Iranian Americans are organized, informed, and empowered, we can defend our community and shape a safer, more just future.
We are rooted in organizing Iranian Americans and allies around two core goals: preventing a catastrophic war between the United States and Iran, and protecting the rights of our community here at home.
Because the U.S.–Iran relationship directly shapes the lived experience of Iranian Americans — from ICE targeting Iranians during moments of conflict, to banking discrimination due to sanctions and cultural bias driven by the villainization of Iranians — our work connects foreign policy, civil rights, and political power into one unified mission: building a community strong enough to protect itself and influence the future.
Through our 501(c)3 educational organization, NIAC, we provide trusted, nonpartisan policy analysis and education to decision-makers. Our 501(c)4 civic engagement organization, NIAC Action, mobilizes its members to lobby, organize, and help elect leaders who reflect our community’s priorities.
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Our 2025 Annual Member Mandate
For more than two decades, the policies and priorities of NIAC and NIAC Action have been determined by our members through our annual member survey. This gives our organization its strength and guides its people-powered mission and voice from its founding to its present. In February, our members completed our annual member survey and set the following top 5 priorities:
1. Prevent war between the U.S. and Iran
2. Relieve broad economic sanctions that hurt Iranians
3. Support a diplomatic agreement between the U.S. and Iran
4. Secure a lasting ceasefire to the conflict between Israel and Palestine
5. Defend civil rights of Iranian Americans at home
Leading & Mobilizing Against War With Iran
On the eve of scheduled diplomatic negotiations between the U.S. and Iran, Israel launched an unprovoked and illegal strike on Iran. Days later, on June 21, 2025, Donald Trump ordered airstrikes on Iran without Congressional authorization. Israel’s bombing in particular dealt a staggering human toll — about 1,190 people killed, at least half of whom were civilians, and roughly 4,475 injured across the country.
NIAC immediately mobilized — activating our network, briefing policymakers, and advocating around the clock for twelve straight days — demanding an end to the violence and a return to diplomacy.
In Partnership with a National Bipartisan Coalition for Peace & Against War
Conducting the Most Comprehensive Poll of Iranian Americans to Date with YouGov
In 2025, NIAC partnered with world renowned polling firm YouGov to conduct the most comprehensive poll of Iranian Americans ever conducted — providing a definitive, data-driven understanding of our community and challenging years of misinformation about what Iranian-Americans believe.
Iranian Americans Stand Against War & Support Diplomacy
Iranian Americans Continue to Face Alarming Levels of iscrimination
Fighting Back Against ICE & Travel Ban 2.0
In 2025, Iranian immigrants faced the harshest targeting since the original Muslim Ban. The Trump administration froze immigration and asylum cases, ordered a re-review of all immigration benefits issued to Iranians who entered the U.S. on or after January 20, 2021, and ICE arrests of Iranians surged dramatically, particularly following the outbreak of war. Families were thrust into fear and uncertainty as decades of discrimination were revived overnight.
NIAC mobilized immediately — becoming the central hub tracking ICE detentions, connecting impacted individuals with trusted legal support, escalating urgent situations with lawmakers and the media, informing policymakers, and providing resources and direct support to community members navigating this crisis.
⚖️ NIAC Sues ICE to Expose Discriminatory Targeting
When ICE refused to disclose information about the targeting of Iranians and the deportation of vulnerable people back to Iran, NIAC filed litigation to force transparency. This critical ongoing litigation positions NIAC as the national watchdog against discriminatory enforcement against our community.
🚨 Launched the First National System to Track ICE Targeting of Iranians
Created a central public running tracker of all known public cases of detentions of Iranian nationals for community members and journalists to be able to track and report on trends and organize support to families and individuals’ lives torn apart by ICE.
🤝 Mobilized a Nationwide Legal & Defense Rapid Response Network
Brought together vetted immigration attorneys, national partners, community advocates, and lawmakers into a coordinated force ready to intervene, support cases, and build the foundation for future litigation efforts.
📞 Delivered Direct, Real-Time Support for Families Under Threat
Developed a casework system to provide one-on-one guidance, resources, and follow-up for individuals facing detentions, halted applications, and re-reviewed immigration benefits — ensuring no family navigated this crisis alone.
🏛️ Escalated High-Risk Cases Across Agencies and Levels of Government
Activated congressional offices and local officials to help stop deportations, secure releases, and shine a spotlight on discriminatory actions happening behind closed doors.
Launched New High-Impact Tools to Inform, Mobilize & Empower
Our new Congressional scorecard is a comprehensive tool to track your elected officials actions in Congress and hold them accountable. This comprehensive resource tracks lawmakers’ votes and positions on foreign policy and civil rights, and even tracks any funding they receive from groups like AIPAC.
In light of the 2025 travel-ban targeting Iran and other nations, this page is your go-to resource for facts, legal guidance, and support. We’ve compiled up-to-date FAQs, rights guides, and aid tools to help Iranian Americans and their loved ones navigate visa suspensions, immigration freezes, and rising discrimination to respond, stay safe, and fight back.
Amid a surge in Iranian detentions and a lack of transparency from ICE and DHS, NIAC launched the first public ICE Tracker — a continuously updated database documenting known cases of Iranian nationals detained nationwide.
When war broke out, NIAC launched our Action Hub to provide the tools and resources to mobilize against the war.
NIAC Insights, our official publication on Substack, is the home for timely analysis, fresh perspectives, and trusted updates at the intersection of U.S.-Iran relations and Iranian American civil rights.
NIAC-YouGov Poll
Using the largest verified list of Iranian-American voters in existence, NIAC and YouGov conducted the most comprehensive survey ever undertaken to understand the views, priorities, and experiences of our community. This interactive resource was created to provide reliable, data-driven insights that inform public discourse, empower our community, and ensure that our voice is rooted in facts—not disinformation or political speculation.
Strengthened Our Power in the Halls of Congress
In 2025, we strengthened our presence on Capitol Hill like never before — pressing lawmakers across the political spectrum, from Republicans to Democrats, to prioritize peace, diplomacy, and democracy, and to confront the human cost of war, sanctions, and ICE targeting. We lobbied, delivered rapid-response analysis, and mobilized Iranian Americans nationwide to make our demands impossible to ignore. We also hosted bipartisan congressional briefings this year featuring speakers from The American Conservative, the Center for International Policy, the Arms Control Association, and more.
🎉 2025 LEGISLATIVE WINS 🎉
✅SIGNED INTO LAW → Equal Representation & Recognition for Iranians & MENA Communities in California
After 2 years of organizing in the state of California, we achieved a major milestone in expanding recognition and representation for Middle Eastern and North African (MENA) communities, turning long-fought advocacy into state law.
❌ DEFEATED → National Discriminatory Law Targeting Iranians Right to Buy Property
An effort to restrictIranian nationals and other targeted immigrant groups from purchasing certain agricultural land, strictly on the basis of national origin, was defeated for the second time by NIAC and allied organizations.
🛡️ ADVANCED → Bipartisan Iran War Powers Resolution
When Israel launched a war on Iran and pressed the U.S. to join, we supported bipartisan War Powers Resolutions in the House and Senate to make clear there was no authorization for the U.S. to go to war with Iran. NIAC Action staff and volunteers helped secure over 120 cosponsors and votes against war.
Grassroots Organizing
Our grassroots base is the engine behind our impact. All of NIAC’s work is powered by dedicated, organized volunteers taking on leadership roles in states across the country to build strong relationships and accountability with our elected officials and to mobilize local communities. This year, we launched new chapters, expanded leadership teams, mobilized thousands of activists, and grew a volunteer network now active in dozens of communities. This people-powered movement is strengthening our voice, shaping our priorities, and anchoring our work nationwide.
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NIAC IN THE MEDIA
