Congress Passes Sweeping Sanctions Against Iran
The House and Senate voted Thursday to impose sweeping new sanctions against Iran, sending the legislation to the President’s desk for approval. Proponents have called the legislation the “toughest Iran sanctions ever proposed,” while critics argue it will do nothing to halt the Iranian nuclear program and that Congress should have eased sanctions that punish innocent Iranians.
Analysis: Obama’s Pursuit of Sanctions Came at Expense of Human Rights
The Huffington Post – The Obama Administration made a conscious decision to forgo a major push on human rights in Iran so as to not distract from the all-important UN sanctions push, according to multiple officials who’ve worked with the Administration on Iran’s human rights crisis.
NIAC Memo: Iran’s Nuke Deal Irritates Washington
ABC News – A noticeable irritation can be sensed in Washington. After months of investing in a new UN Security Council resolution and an escalation of the conflict and apparently winning agreement among the permanent members of the council for such a measure, two emerging powers had the audacity to intervene and find a solution.
NIAC Memo: The Turkey-Brazil-Iran deal: Can Washington take ‘yes’ for an answer?
Foreign Policy Magazine – The Brazilian-Turkish diplomatic breakthrough with Iran has taken Washington by surprise. Clearly, the geopolitical center of gravity has shifted-five years of EU-led negotiations led nowhere while the new emerging powers Brazil and Turkey only needed a few months to produce a breakthrough.
NGO Coalition Calls on U.S. to Lift Ban on Humanitarian Relief for Iranians
NIAC led a coalition of humanitarian relief and human rights organizations that called on the U.S. government today to allow American NGOs to undertake humanitarian projects in Iran
2+2=Regime Change
Many of us acknowledge that most major media outlets limit their reporting on Iran to one or two narratives, spinning the news to focus only on the nuclear weapons or regime change. But today the Washington Post has gone one step further and has actually distorted the message in a letter from one of its […]
Clinton: Iran’s shift towards Military dictatorship
The NY times reports that Secretary of State Clinton sparked more tension with Iran on Monday by suggesting Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guards is shifting the nation towards a military dictatorship, as the IRGC is gaining more political, economic, and military power. “We see that the government of Iran, the supreme leader, the president, the Parliament […]
NIAC Weighs in on Senate Sanctions Bill
With the Senate expected to approve comprehensive Iran legislation, S.2799, in the coming weeks, NIAC has released a guide offering suggested changes to the legislation that would bring the bill more in line with the Obama Administration’s strategy.
Secretary Clinton on Internet Freedom and Iran
In what was touted as a major policy speech announcing the State Department’s new Internet freedom initiative, Secretary of State Hilary Clinton today committed the US to a broad new effort to advance and protect the right of all people to access the Internet freely. In her speech, Clinton highlighted the important role that cyber […]
Clinton to Speak on Internet Freedom in Repressive Regimes
Secretary of State Hillary Clinton will deliver a speech tomorrow on global Internet freedom, in which she is expected to discuss the vital role the Internet has played for the Iranian opposition movement. According to the State Department, the speech will lay out the Administration’s strategy for “protecting freedom in the networked age of the 21st Century.”
NIAC Deplores Senate Vote to Sanction Iranian People
The National Iranian American Council deplores today’s Senate passage of S.2799, the Comprehensive Iran Sanctions, Accountability and Divestment Act of 2009.
Clinton says Iran unable to respond to overtures
From Reuters: LONDON (Reuters) – The United States is still willing to ‘reach out’ to Iran but political turmoil there means Tehran is not now in a position to respond, Secretary of State Hillary Clinton told the BBC on Thursday. President Barack Obama made diplomatic overtures to Iran before its June 12 election, but Clinton […]