Iranian American Voter Outreach Report
In October 2024, with support from the Proteus Fund, NIAC conducted its largest-ever nonpartisan voter outreach campaign. Using a national voter database and an AI tool developed by a NIAC chapter volunteer, we identified over 120,000 registered Iranian American voters across the country.
Othering Iran: How Dehumanization of Iranians Undermines Rights at Home
This groundbreaking report explains how the dehumanization of Iranians undermines U.S. policy objectives and hurts the Iranian-American community at home, and outlines recommendations to improve the current state of affairs.
First Day of Vienna Nuclear Talks
Negotiations aimed at restoring the Iran nuclear deal, or Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action (JCPOA), resumed in Vienna, Austria today. We have reasons to be optimistic.
NIAC Sends Letter to Treasury Department Highlighting Key Issues with Current U.S. Sanctions Policy
NIAC sent a letter to the U.S. Treasury Department’s Office of Foreign Assets Control (OFAC) describing the detrimental impact of sanctions on humanitarian trade with Iran from October 1, 2016 to September 30, 2018. This is in response to OFAC soliciting comments on the effectiveness of its licensing procedures during this period. Current U.S. sanctions policy is failing to protect even allowable humanitarian trade and must be reformed.
The Impact of U.S. Sanctions on Internet Access in Iran
The protests that broke out in Iran’s southwestern Khuzestan province this summer followed a familiar pattern. Iranian citizens took to the streets to air grievances they have with the status quo, in this case dire water shortages intensified by mismanaged water resources and climate change. The Iranian government in turn responded with an internet outage and deadly force and repression to quell the public outpouring of discontent. What may come as a shock to many, however, is the role U.S. sanctions have played in inadvertently helping Iran’s government censor, surveil, and repress its population.
NIACast Episode #14 – Professor John Ghazvinian’s New Book, “America and Iran: A History 1720 to the Present”
Assal, Sina, and Mana sat down with Professor John Ghazvinian, director of the University of Pennsylvania’s Middle East Center, to discuss his new book: America and Iran: A History 1720 to the Present. Ghazvinian’s study presents a history that is often overlooked, which goes beyond the historical grievances of the U.S. and Iran.
Middle East Roundup: Israel and Iran Attack Each Other’s Ships & Grandstanding Between US-Iran Continues
This week, reports suggested that Israel has been attacking Iranian ships since 2019. And, U.S. and Iranian officials continue to trade escalating barbs over the JCPOA and questions remain over frozen Iranian funds in South Korean banks. Please see our breakdown below:
Join us on March 26th to discuss tech freedom and Iran
Join us for a conversation with policymakers, Internet freedom advocates, and tech industry leaders on the policies and actions the new administration and the tech industry can adopt to ensure the U.S. does not help silence Iranian voices. The panel will feature special remarks from Rep. Ro Khanna (D-CA) and a panel discussion with Mahsa Alimardani from ARTICLE19, Peter Micek of Access Now, Mike Linksvayer from GitHub, and Amir Rashidi from the Miaan Group, moderated by Mana Mostatabi of NIAC.
Middle East Roundup: IAEA Censure of Iran Withdrawn & New Rocket Attack in Iraq
This week, the IAEA withdrew a proposed resolution to censure Iran over an investigation into its past nuclear activities. Also, a new barrage of rockets struck U.S. positions in Iraq after airstrikes in Syria last week were meant to deter further aggression. Please see our breakdown and analysis below:
Middle East Roundup: Airstrikes in Syria & Iran-IAEA Finalize “Technical Understanding”
This week, President Biden ordered the first military strikes of his presidency when he authorized airstrikes against Shia militias in Syria. Also, the IAEA and Iran came to a “technical understanding” concerning Iran’s suspension of the AP. Please see our breakdown and analysis of these events below:
NIAC Statement on U.S. Strike on Syria
We are concerned that President Biden’s first instinct when it comes to regional security in the Middle East appears to be to reach for military options instead of diplomacy. President Trump proved that responding to rocket fire in Iraq with airstrikes is not a recipe for restoring deterrence or securing American troops. Moreover, it is unclear what Congressional authorization could logically apply to attacking a militia target in Syria.
Middle East Roundup: Biden Takes Steps Forward on JCPOA & What Iran’s Feb. 23rd Deadline Means
This week, the Biden administration took its first steps in trying to jump start the process to reenter the Iran nuclear deal. Also, barring any changes, Iran is set to reduce the access of IAEA inspectors on Feb. 23rd. Please see our breakdown and analysis below: