{"id":2008,"date":"2026-03-22T20:31:17","date_gmt":"2026-03-22T19:31:17","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/ecziiran.org\/?p=2008"},"modified":"2026-03-26T14:05:39","modified_gmt":"2026-03-26T13:05:39","slug":"%d8%aa%d8%b6%d8%b9%db%8c%d9%81-%d9%87%d9%85%d8%a8%d8%b3%d8%aa%da%af%db%8c-%d8%af%d8%b1-%d9%85%d8%ae%d8%a7%d9%84%d9%81%d8%aa-%d8%a8%d8%a7-%d8%ac%d9%86%da%af-%d8%b9%d9%84%db%8c%d9%87-%d8%a7%db%8c%d8%b1","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/ecziiran.org\/en\/archives\/2008","title":{"rendered":"Undermining Solidarity in Opposition to the War on Iran:\u00a0NIAC and the Infiltration of U.S. Propaganda into the Antiwar Movement"},"content":{"rendered":"

\"\"External Committee of the Supporters of Anti-Imperialist Left Alliance \u2014 Iran —<\/strong><\/p>\n

At this critical moment\u2014when the United States and Israel are waging a devastating war against Iran\u2014the responsibility of the anti-war movement, especially within the center of U.S. imperialism, is unequivocal: to oppose this war without ambiguity, and to reject the propaganda used to justify it.<\/p>\n

The current assault on Iran is not an isolated event. It is the continuation of a decades-long campaign of aggression aimed at overthrowing a sovereign government. Central to this campaign has been a persistent effort to delegitimize the Islamic Republic of Iran through narratives centered on \u201chuman rights\u201d and \u201cdemocracy\u201d\u2014frameworks repeatedly weaponized to justify intervention, sanctions, and war.<\/p>\n

Yet today, this very narrative is being echoed from within the antiwar movement itself.<\/p>\n

At the February 28 rally in Times Square, NYC, the day the U.S. launched the war, Jamal Abdi, president of the National Iranian American Council (NIAC), as the featured speaker and co-convenor, and partner of mass U.S. rallies, formally opposed U.S. bombing of Iran. But\u00a0 he simultaneously denounced the Iranian government as \u201crepressive\u201d \u201cauthoritarian\u201d \u201celite who benefit from sanctions\u201d and called for its replacement – regime change – under the banner of \u201cdemocracy.\u201d This contradiction is not incidental\u2014it is politically consequential.\u00a0<\/p>\n

We must ask clearly: What does it mean to oppose war while endorsing the very ideological framework used to justify it?<\/p>\n

Such a position does not challenge imperialism\u2014it reinforces it. It aligns, whether intentionally or not, with a long-standing U.S. strategy of regime change pursued under the guise of \u201cdemocratic reform\u201d.<\/p>\n

NIAC\u2019s Political Role and Alignment<\/span><\/strong><\/p>\n

NIAC presents itself as a representative of Iranian Americans and engages in lobbying within U.S. political institutions. While such activity may appear legitimate, its political positions reveal a deeper alignment with U.S. strategic objectives.<\/p>\n

As the largest, well funded, most often quoted Iranian American organization in U.S. media, NIAC has openly supported \u201ctargeted sanctions\u201d against Iran, including its role in advancing the 2010 Stand with the Iranian People Act<\/em>. These measures\u2014while framed as selective\u2014directly undermine the Iranian state\u2019s capacity to provide essential services, impacting healthcare, education, infrastructure, and basic living conditions.<\/p>\n

At the same time, NIAC has consistently failed to acknowledge the documented social and developmental achievements of Iran, including advances in public health, literacy, women\u2019s participation in science and medicine, and technological self-reliance under extreme external pressure.<\/p>\n

This selective narrative is not neutral. It reflects a political orientation that mirrors U.S. foreign policy discourse.<\/p>\n

Moreover, NIAC\u2019s funding connections to institutions such as the Ford Foundation and organizations linked to George Soros\u2019 Open Society network further raise legitimate questions about its role within broader frameworks of U.S. \u201csoft power\u201d\u2014efforts historically aimed at shaping political outcomes in targeted countries.<\/p>\n

While NIAC claims that change in Iran must come from within, it simultaneously supports U.S.-backed initiatives to influence internal dynamics, including the promotion of external media penetration and digital infrastructure designed to disseminate U.S. narratives.<\/p>\n

Introducing these narratives into the antiwar movement has serious consequences. It creates confusion among new activists, dilutes the clarity of anti-imperialist positions, and ultimately weakens the movement\u2019s capacity to oppose war effectively. A movement that simultaneously opposes military aggression while legitimizing its ideological justification becomes internally contradictory\u2014and politically ineffective.<\/p>\n

No genuine antiwar movement can sustain itself while reproducing the narratives of the very forces it seeks to oppose.<\/p>\n

Sign Petition in Support of Iran<\/span><\/strong><\/a><\/p>\n

Clear Position in Solidarity with Iran<\/span><\/strong><\/p>\n

\u00a0At a time when Iran is under direct military attack, the task of anti-imperialist forces is clear:<\/p>\n