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National Iranian American Council

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National Iranian American Council
MottoCommunity. Democracy. Universal Rights.
Founder(s)Trita Parsi, Babak Talebi, Farzin Illich
EstablishedJanuary 2002 (2002-01)
MissionStrengthening the voice of Iranian Americans and promoting greater understanding between the American and Iranian people
PresidentTrita Parsi
ChairAli Youssefi
Address1629 K St. NW, Suite 503, Washington, DC 20006
Location
Washington
,
DC
,
United States
Websitewww.niacouncil.org

The National Iranian American Council (NIAC) is a Washington, D.C.-based non-profit organization. Trita Parsi is one of the founders and the organization's current president.

Various media have alleged that NIAC is an influential lobby organization for the current Iranian government under Ayatollah Khamenei.[1][2][3][4] The organization has extensively campaigned for the Iran nuclear deal, and has had an impact on US policy towards Tehran.[5][6][7] During a document examination, it was revealed that NIAC’s president, Trita Parsi, has ties with Iranian Foreign Minister Javad Zarif.[8][9][10]

Backgound

NIAC’s origins have been traced to 1999, when founder Trita Parsi and Iranian businessman Siamak Namazi presented a paper at a conference held by the Iranian government in Cyprus.[11][12][13]

During the conference, Parsi and Namazi proposed to introduce a pro-regime lobbying group to counteract the influence of America’s pro-Israel and anti-Tehran regime advocacy groups.[14] The paper also proposed to enlist “Americans of non-Iranian background” to lessen the adversarial posture of both nations.[15]

In 2001, NIAC was founded by Trita Parsi with the assistance of congressman Bob Ney and Iranian businessman Baquer Namazi.[16][17]

The Congressional publication, The Hill, cited NIAC's work in support of the Iran nuclear accord as one of the "Top lobbying victories of 2015."[18]

Islamic Republic of Iran Lobbying controversy

NIAC has been repeatedly identified as a lobbying organization against “any U.S. sanctions on Iran.”[19][20] Political analyst Michael Rubin stated that, “Jamal Abdi, NIAC’s policy director, now appears to push aside any pretence that NIAC is something other than Iran’s lobby.” Investigative journalist Charles C. Johnson indicated that “Iranian state-run media have referred to the National Iranian-American Council (NIAC) since 2006 as ‘Iran Lobby in the US’.”[21][22] Business Insider described NIAC as an organization lobbying for “general sanctions to be lifted in favour of narrow sanctions targeted at the regime’s elite.”[23][24]

In 2015 NIAC launched “NIAC Action”, internally described as a lobbying organization meant to counter the influence of AIPAC. [25][26] Also in 2015, NIAC paid $200,000 to publish a full-page ad against Prime Minister Binyamin Netanyahu in the New York Times.[27] The organization has also paid to publish articles that focus on topics such as AIPAC’s anti-Iran campaign or People's Mujahedin of Iran’s de-listing as a terrorist entity by the U.S.[28]

During a document investigation involving a defamation lawsuit, a U.S. court found evidence suggesting that NIAC lobbies in breach of federal laws.[29][30][31] This included emails from NIAC’s former policy director Patrick Disney,[32] and emails from Islamic Republic of Iran officials including Iranian Foreign Minister Javad Zarif.[33] The organization has also been involved in advocating the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action for the Iran nuclear deal,[34] and endeavoring to “eliminate” the National Endowment for Democracy in Iran, which the organization “saw as a vehicle for attempted regime change.”[35]

NIAC has insisted that it does not lobby on behalf of the Iranian regime but is a “nonprofit trying to promote Iranian-American participation in American civic and political life.”[36]

Notable Staff

  • Reza Marashi (research director)[38]

NIAC Action

NIAC's sister 501(c)4 organization, NIAC Action, was formed in 2015 to support the nuclear deal between the U.S. and Iran and to champion Iranian American priorities.[39] At that time, NIAC Action assumed responsibility for and expanded direct and grassroots lobbying work previously conducted by NIAC.[39] NIAC Action’s expressed advocacy goals are "to strengthen U.S. diplomacy with Iran to advance peace and human rights, promote greater openings between the American and the Iranian people, protect civil rights and opportunities for Iranian Americans at home, and support candidates who represent the Iranian American community's values."[40] Jamal Abdi currently serves as the organization's Executive Director.[40]

Policy conference

Since 2011, NIAC has held an annual Leadership Conference that "aims to expose its attendees to world-class leaders, and to teach Iranian Americans how to gain the political strength needed to effect real change on the issues."[41] The conference in 2015 included addresses from Sen. Chris Murphy (D-CT), as well as Representatives Donna Edwards (D-MD) and Dan Kildee (D-MI).[42]

Defamation lawsuit

In 2007, Arizona-based Iranian-American journalist Hassan Daioleslam began publicly asserting that NIAC was lobbying on behalf of the Islamic Republic of Iran. In response, Parsi sued him for defamation. As a result of the lawsuit, many internal documents were released, which former Washington Times correspondent Eli Lake stated "raise questions" about whether the organization had violated U.S. lobbying regulations.[43] NIAC responded that it is in "full compliance with all regulations and laws" and published all of its tax returns online to back up its claim.[44] Andrew Sullivan responded to the story in The Atlantic, suggesting the motive of the story was to "smear" Parsi’s reputation.[45]

Parsi and NIAC lost the case in 2012, with U.S. District Court Judge John D. Bates concluding that “Parsi occasionally made statements reflecting a balanced, shared blame approach is not inconsistent with the idea that he was first and foremost an advocate for the regime… After all, any moderately intelligent agent for the Iranian regime would not want to be seen as unremittingly pro-regime, given the regime’s reputation in the United States.”[46][47][48]

NIAC appealed the ruling, which led to three circuit judges of the U.S. Court of Appeals finding NIAC’s conduct during the trial had been “dilatory, dishonest, and intransigent” and accused the organization of engaging in a “disturbing pattern of delay and intransigence. Seemingly at every turn, NIAC and Parsi deferred producing relevant documents, withheld them, or denied their existence altogether. Even worse, the Appellants also misrepresented to the District Court that they did not possess key documents (Daioleslam) sought. Most troublingly, they flouted multiple court orders… A court without the authority to sanction conduct that so plainly abuses the judicial process cannot function.”

In February 2015, NIAC and Parsi lost their appeal and were ordered to pay $183,480.09 in monetary sanctions.[49][50] A March 2015 Bloomberg article reported that emails made available during the defamation lawsuit show close cooperation between NIAC and the then Iran ambassador to the United Nations and current Foreign Minister Mohammad Javad Zarif.[51]

Funding

In 2002 and 2003, NIAC received funding from Iranian conglomerate Atieh Group.[52] NIAC has also received funding from Hungarian-American investor George Soros,[53] Ploughshares Fund,[54] Rockefeller Brothers Fund, and the Iranian PARSA Community Foundation, which contributed a total of $591,500 between 2006 and 2015.[55]

NIAC has also received funding from the National Endowment for Democracy (NED). However, a NED representative said it regretted working with NIAC, stating that they “were trying something that might be a way to help people [in Iran] on the inside. But that quickly became unworkable; the grant didn’t work. Then NIAC showed itself as a lobby organization, so we have nothing to do with them anymore.”[56]

Sanctions and Lobbying for Iranian Students in the U.S.

A NIAC report concluded that U.S. sanctions on Iran cost the U.S. economy between $135 billion and $175 billion in lost export revenue between 1995 and 2012.[57] After the Iran nuclear deal was implemented and U.S. secondary sanctions on Iran were eased, the organization questioned the utility of the broad economic embargo the U.S. maintains on trade with Iran.[58]

NIAC has worked on behalf of Iranian students in the U.S. NIAC led the campaign to change the U.S.’s single-entry visa policy towards Iranian students, by allowing Iranian students to receive multiple entry visas, a measure that the Obama administration adopted in 2011.[59]

References

  1. ^ "Trita Parsi, Lobbyist for Iran?". The Atlantic. Retrieved 2018-04-05.
  2. ^ Geller, Pamela (2013). The Post-American Presidency: The Obama Administration's War on America. Threshold Edtions. ISBN 978-1439190364.
  3. ^ "Obama Adviser on Iran Worked for Pro-Regime Lobby". Breitbart. Retrieved 2018-04-05.
  4. ^ "George Soros Taking Heat Over Ties To Pro-Iranian Group". Business Insider. Retrieved 2018-04-05.
  5. ^ "America's most prominent group advocating engagement with Iran was hit with a rough court decision". Business Insider. Retrieved 2018-04-05.
  6. ^ "The New York Times' Dishonest Reporting on the Iran Nuclear Deal". National Reviewer. Retrieved 2018-04-05.
  7. ^ "Iranian dissidents warn IRGC is expanding terrorist training". Washington Examiner. Retrieved 2018-04-05.
  8. ^ "Obama Adviser on Iran Worked for Pro-Regime Lobby". Breitbart. Retrieved 2018-04-05.
  9. ^ Hook, Steven (2011). US Foreign Policy Today: American Renewal?. CQ Press. ISBN 978-1608714032.
  10. ^ "Meet the Iran Lobby". Tablet Magazine. Retrieved 2018-04-05.
  11. ^ www.centerforsecuritypolicy.org/wp-content/uploads/media/center%20publication%20pdfs/Clare%20Lopez%20-%20Iran%20Lobby.pdf
  12. ^ "The Shady Family Behind America's Iran Lobby". The Daily Beast. Retrieved 2018-04-05.
  13. ^ "Is Iran expanding its spying and lobbying efforts?". Washington Examiner. Retrieved 2018-04-05.
  14. ^ "Obama Adviser on Iran Worked for Pro-Regime Lobby". Breibart. Retrieved 2018-04-05.
  15. ^ "The Shady Family Behind America's Iran Lobby". The Daily Beast. Retrieved 2018-04-05.
  16. ^ "The Shady Family Behind America's Iran Lobby". The Daily Beast. Retrieved 2018-04-05.
  17. ^ "Iran's Oil Mafia". Front Page Magazine. Retrieved 2018-04-05.
  18. ^ Dickson, Rebecca (2015-12-16). "Top lobbying victories of 2015". The Hill. Retrieved 2016-08-04.
  19. ^ "The Shady Family Behind America's Iran Lobby". The Daily Beast. Retrieved 2018-04-05.
  20. ^ Geller, Pamela (2013). The Post-American Presidency: The Obama Administration's War on America. Threshold Edtions. ISBN 978-1439190364.
  21. ^ Spencer, Robert (2014). Arab Winter Comes to America: The Truth About the War We're In. Regnery Publishing. ISBN 978-1621572046.
  22. ^ "Documents: Hagel staffers met with 'front group' for Iranian regimePhoto of Charles C. Johnson". Daily Caller. Retrieved 2018-04-05.
  23. ^ "There's Going To Be A Gold Rush If Sanctions On Iran Are Lifted, But America Could Miss Out". Business Insider. Retrieved 2018-04-05.
  24. ^ "Is Iran expanding its spying and lobbying efforts?". Washington Examiner. Retrieved 2018-04-05.
  25. ^ "The Shady Family Behind America's Iran Lobby". The Daily Beast. Retrieved 2018-04-05.
  26. ^ "For new Iranian American lobbying group, response to nuclear deal is pivotal first test". Washington Post. Retrieved 2018-04-05.
  27. ^ "Iran Lobby Spends $200K on anti-Netanyahu New York Times Ad". Israel National News. Retrieved 2018-04-05.
  28. ^ "The Shady Family Behind America's Iran Lobby". The Daily Beast. Retrieved 2018-04-05.
  29. ^ "George Soros Taking Heat Over Ties To Pro-Iranian Group". Business Insider. Retrieved 2018-04-05.
  30. ^ "Unusual Adviser". Free Beacon. Retrieved 2018-04-05.
  31. ^ "Iranian dissidents seeking meeting with Trump". Fox News. Retrieved 2018-04-05.
  32. ^ "Trita Parsi, Lobbyist for Iran?". The Atlantic. Retrieved 2018-04-05.
  33. ^ "Iran's Emboldened U.S. Lobby". Commentary Magazine. Retrieved 2018-04-05.
  34. ^ "Iranian Americans set up pro-nuke deal lobby". Times Of Israel. Retrieved 2018-04-05.
  35. ^ "The Shady Family Behind America's Iran Lobby". The Daily Beast. Retrieved 2018-04-05.
  36. ^ "Iran talks conference call: A lesson in how not to become famous in Washington". Washington Examiner. Retrieved 2018-04-05.
  37. ^ "swamp in the State Department". Washington Examiner. Retrieved 2018-04-05.
  38. ^ "Staff and Board". NIAC. Retrieved 2018-04-05.
  39. ^ a b Jamal Abdi. "Announcing NIAC Action: A New Organization to Seal the Iran Deal and Advance Peace". Retrieved 22 July 2016.
  40. ^ a b NIAC Action staff. "About NIAC Action". Retrieved 22 July 2016.
  41. ^ NIAC. "NIAC Leadership Conference". Retrieved 22 July 2016.
  42. ^ Alexander Kneib. "Lawmakers Address 2015 NIAC Leadership Conference". Retrieved 22 July 2016.
  43. ^ Eli Lake (13 November 2009). "Iran advocacy group said to skirt lobby rules". The Washington Times.
  44. ^ "Myths vs. Facts, Continued". NIAC.
  45. ^ Sullivan, Andrew (November 16, 2009). "'Send It To Lake Right Away!'". The Daily Dish. Atlantic Media. Retrieved August 10, 2016.
  46. ^ "Does Washington have an Iran lobby?". Foreign Policy. Retrieved 3 May 2018.
  47. ^ "The Shady Family Behind America's Iran Lobby". The Daily Beast. Retrieved 2018-04-05.
  48. ^ "Exposé Reveals Deep Links Between DC-Based Iran Lobby and Iranian Regime". The Tower. Retrieved 3 May 2018.
  49. ^ "The Shady Family Behind America's Iran Lobby". The Daily Beast. Retrieved 2018-04-05.
  50. ^ "America's most prominent group advocating engagement with Iran was hit with a rough court decision". Business Insider. Retrieved 3 May 2018.
  51. ^ "Iran's Charmer in Chief Wins Again". Bloomberg.com. 2015-03-31. Retrieved 2018-01-17.
  52. ^ "2002-2003: Trita Parsi, president of NIAC, sent reports from Washington to Atieh Bahar in Tehran and was paid for his work". Iran Forum. Retrieved 2018-04-05.
  53. ^ "George Soros Taking Heat Over Ties To Pro-Iranian Group". Business Insider. Retrieved 2018-04-05.
  54. ^ "Meet the Iran Lobby". Tablet Magazine. Retrieved 2018-04-05.
  55. ^ Jett, Dennis (2017). The Iran Nuclear Deal: Bombs, Bureaucrats, and Billionaires. Palgrave Macmillan. p. 122. ISBN 978-3319598215.
  56. ^ "The Shady Family Behind America's Iran Lobby". The Daily Beast. Retrieved 2018-04-05.
  57. ^ "Sanctions on Iran cost the U.S. as much as $175 billion, study says". Washington Post. Retrieved 2016-08-04.
  58. ^ "It's pointless to be the last country sanctioning Iran". Washington Post. Retrieved 2016-08-04.
  59. ^ "U.S. Eases Visa Policy for Iranian Students – The Ticker - Blogs - The Chronicle of Higher Education". www.chronicle.com. Retrieved 2016-09-01.
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