National Iranian American Council
Pro-Iran lobbying entity in the United States
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
The National Iranian American Council (NIAC; Persian: شورای ملی ایرانیان آمریکا) is a lobby dedicated to the pursuit of what it describes as the interests of Iranians and Iranian Americans.
 | |
| Founders | Trita Parsi, Babak Talebi, Farzin Illich |
|---|---|
| Established | January 2002 |
| President | Jamal Abdi |
| Location | , United States |
| Website | www |
NIAC's first president, Trita Parsi, is the group's co-founder. As of 2018, the organization's president was Jamal Abdi.[1] NIAC Action PAC is its affiliated political action committee and was formed in 2015.[2]
NIAC has lobbied against the initiation of military conflicts by the United States against Iran and for an end to sanctions on Iran. It supported the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action agreement between Iran and the United States in 2015 that gave Iran sanctions relief in exchange for Iran's pledge not to develop a nuclear weapon. NIAC's activities have been controversial, with various political figures and commentators, as well as some members of the Iranian diaspora, labeling it a front for the Iranian government.[3][4] NIAC members dispute the accusations, citing their criticism of the Iranian government's human rights abuses.
History
NIAC was founded in 2002 by Trita Parsi, Babak Talebi, and Farzin Illich to promote Iranian-American relations.[5]
Obama administration
During the Obama administration, NIAC advocated for the Iran nuclear deal, along with J Street and the Arab American Institute.[6] The deal stated that the US would ease sanctions on Iran in exchange or Iran reducing its nuclear program. The Congressional publication, The Hill, cited the work of NIAC, J Street, and the Arms Control Association in support of the deal as one of the "Top lobbying victories of 2015."[7]
In 2007, Arizona-based Iranian-American journalist Seid Hassan Daioleslam began publicly asserting that NIAC was lobbying for Iran. In response, Parsi and NIAC sued him for defamation. In 2012, Parsi's lawsuit was dismissed by the court on summary judgment.[3] In 2015, NIAC was monetarily sanctioned by two circuit judges and a senior circuit judge in favour of Daioleslam.[8]
First Trump administration
In 2017, President Donald Trump did not recertify the Iran nuclear deal. Parsi criticized the decision, stating that the IAEA had repeatedly verified that Iran had been following the deal.[9] After Secretary of State Mike Pompeo threatened Iran with extreme sanctions, Parsi stated that Trump was attempting to instigate war with Iran.[10]
In July 2019, NIAC was the target of protests from members of the Iranian American community. Demonstrations in front of the NIAC office in Washington DC denounced NIAC as "the representative of the corrupt and brutal Islamic Republic regime" and not the voice of the Iranian-Americans.[11]
It was revealed in 2019 that the U.S. Department of State funded a group which attacked NIAC with the hashtag "#NIACLobbies4Mullahs".[12]
In January 2020, senators Tom Cotton, Ted Cruz and Mike Braun stated that NIAC and its sister organization NIAC Action violated the Foreign Agents Registration Act (FARA) and requested US Attorney-General William Barr investigate.[13] The US government has not publicly taken any such action against NIAC.[14]
Biden administration
In 2022, Iranians protesting for regime change alleged that NIAC did not join the Women, Life, Freedom Movement and was still looking for a way to reform by trying to reestablish the JCPOA deal.[15][verify]
Second Trump administration
According to a June 2026 article by The Free Press, the United States Department of State probed NIAC founder Trita Parsi for possible deportation.[16]
Funding
Policy positions
Sanctions on Iran
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.[22]
NIAC takes a negative view of economic sanctions against Iran and has opposed many proposals to sanction Iran and urged the repeal of sanctions it calls counterproductive.[23] The organization led campaigns to lift sanctions that blocked humanitarian organizations from providing disaster relief to Iranians, and helped remove sanctions on online communication tools like Facebook and YouTube.[24]