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The Organization of Iranian American Communities (OIAC) is an organization in the United States.

The OIAC is allied with the People's Mojahedin Organization of Iran, or the Mojahedin-e Khalq (MEK), which advocates the overthrow of the government of Iran. The OIAC has been described as a front group for the MEK.

History

The OIAC was founded in 2012 with its present headquarters located in Washington, D.C., United States but it has been working as Iranian American Communities-US since 1997. Majid Sadeghpour is currently the Political Director of the organization.

OIAC and its events have been targeted by Iranian regime and its terrorist proxies. OIAC holds yearly protests outside the United Nations building against Iranian Presidents and at times outside the White House "in solidarity with protesters in Iran". According to Joanne Stocker, "the Organization of Iranian American Communities have played a crucial role in securing broad, bipartisan support in the United States for the opposition group by successfully portraying the group as a democratic, human rights-supporting alternative to the current regime."

Lobbying activities

The Intercept describes OIAC as an "opaque network" which is used by the MEK to lobby the United States Congress, quoting a former staffer "iven how small they are and how marginal they actually are, the amount of influence they wield is actually kind of amazing." The organization had refused to comment on its lobbying activities.

Known engagements

In 2013, the OIAC hired three former lawmakers at two different lobby firms, with an aim to relocate MEK members from Camp Liberty. In the same year, the organization paid nearly one-third of the costs for the trip of then-Mayor of San Diego Bob Filner to Paris, France, which totaled $31,363. Filner –who attended the annual meetings of the MEK in 2007 and 2011 sponsored by an Iranian-born Colorado real estate broker named Mehdi Ghaemi– appeared the event again in his trip. After the OIAC payment was placed under investigation for violation of state law by the City Council, Filner pledged to reimburse the costs.

According to data aggregator Legistorm, from 2014 to 2016 the OIAC spent almost $100,000 to send six congresspeople and five staffers from both parties to the rally in Paris.

Al-Monitor reported that aligned with the NCRI efforts to press the Congress to recognize 1988 executions of Iranian political prisoners, the OIAC paid $90,000 to Akin Gump Strauss Hauer & Feld law firm from January to December 2016. ProPublica calculated the total amount paid by the OIAC to the firm, between 2013 and 2016, about $500,000.

See also

• Iranian Americans
• Iranian diaspora
• Iran–United States relations

References

1. Lipin, Michael (17 March 2018). "US Senators Pledge Help to Iranian Group Seeking End to Iran's Islamist Rule". VOA. Archived from the original on 17 December 2018. Retrieved 17 December 2018.
2. Gharib, Ali; Clifton, Eli (26 February 2015). "Long March of the Yellow Jackets: How a One-Time Terrorist Group Prevailed on Capitol Hill". The Intercept. Retrieved 17 December 2018.
3. Ackerman, Spencer (19 September 2018). "Giuliani to Speak Beside Leader of Accused Iranian 'Cult'". Daily Beast. Retrieved 17 December 2018.
4. Marshall, John (5 May 2018). "Where's Rudy Getting the Money?". Talking Points Memo. Archived from the original on 17 December 2018. Retrieved 17 December 2018.
5. Clifton, Eli (6 May 2015). "Tom Cotton Allies Himself with the MEK". LobeLog. Retrieved 17 December 2018.
6. "Iran is at the heart of radical Islam". thehill.com. 20 January 2015. Retrieved 1 February 2016.
7. "U.S. court detains Calif. man charged with serving as agent of Iran, surveilling Americans". Washington Post. Retrieved 2018-11-28.
8. Lipin, Michael. "US Judge Denies Bond to Iranian Man Accused of Spying for Tehran". VOA. Retrieved 2018-11-28.
9. Protesters Rally Against Iranian President at United Nations by REBECCA GIBIAN, Associated Press; 20 September 2017
10. Demonstrators gather at White House to support Iranian ‘liberty, democracy’; By Dick Uliano, WTOP-FM, 6 January 2018
11. The Organization of Iranian American Communities holds a demonstration across from the White House in solidarity with protesters in Iran, Washington, Jan. 6, 2018
12. Haaretz
13. Pecquet, Julian, ed. (11 September 2019), "Annual Overview 2019: Iran opposition buoyed by Trump's 'maximum pressure' campaign", Al-Monitor Lobbying Tracker, archived from the original on 30 March 2020, retrieved 30 March 2020
14. Gharib, Ali; Clifton, Eli (26 February 2015), "How a One-Time Terrorist Group Prevailed on Capitol Hill", The Intercept, archived from the original on 17 May 2018, retrieved 30 March 2020
15. Harb, Ali (17 July 2019), "How Iranian MEK went from US terror list to halls of Congress", Middle East Eye, archived from the original on 8 April 2020, retrieved 30 March 2020
16. ^ Pecquet, Julian (16 August 2016), "Iranians in America battle over US rapprochement with Tehran", Al-Monitor, archived from the original on 6 December 2016, retrieved 30 March 2020
17. ^ Fry, Wendy; Garske, Monica (31 July 2013), "Mayor Under Fire: Filner Says He'll Pay for Paris Trip", NBC San Diego, retrieved 1 February 2016
18. Calbreath, Dean (28 June 2013), "Filner Visits Iranian Resistance In Paris", The Daily Transcript, KPBS Public Broadcasting, retrieved 30 March 2018
19. Detsch, Jack (12 December 2017), "Trump rhetoric divides Iranian-Americans", Al-Monitor, archived from the original on 24 March 2018, retrieved 30 March 2020
20. "Lobbying by Organization of Iranian American Communities", ProPublica, archived from the original on 8 April 2020, retrieved 30 March 2020

External links

• Official website

v t e Iran–United States relations
Diplomatic posts	Embassy of Iran, Washington, D.C. Ambassadors of Iran to the United States Embassy of the United States, Tehran Ambassadors of the United States to Iran Interests Section of Iran in the United States Consulate-General of the United States, Tabriz Bureau of Near Eastern Affairs Iran–United States Claims Tribunal Iranian Directorate Iran Syria Policy and Operations Group
Diplomacy	Persian Corridor Persian Gulf Command Nationalization of the Iranian oil industry 1953 Iranian coup d'état Abadan Crisis Timeline Treaty of Amity, Economic Relations and Consular Rights Exercise Delawar Project Dark Gene Safari Club Island of Stability Mahmoud Ahmadinejad's letter to George W. Bush Correspondence between Barack Obama and Ali Khamenei Phone conversation between Barack Obama and Hassan Rouhani Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action Negotiations Joint Plan of Action Framework Reactions Criticism Aftermath U.S. withdrawal
Conflicts	Iran–Iraq War United States support for Iraq Bridgeton incident Iran Air Flight 655 Iran Ajr Iran–Contra affair Operation Staunch Operation Eager Glacier Operation Earnest Will Operation Prime Chance Operation Nimble Archer Operation Praying Mantis Syrian civil war Yemeni Civil War Arab–Israeli alliance Abraham Accords February 2019 Warsaw Conference Iran–Israel proxy conflict Iran–Saudi Arabia proxy conflict Russia–Syria–Iran–Iraq coalition International Maritime Security Construct Assassination of Qasem Soleimani reactions Thirteen revenge scenarios Donald Trump's threat for the destruction of Iranian cultural sites Operation Martyr Soleimani 2020 Camp Taji attacks
Incidents after 1979	Assassination of Paul R. Shaffer and John H. Turner Iranian revolution Iran hostage crisis Timeline Guadeloupe Conference Operation Credible Sport Operation Eagle Claw Canadian Caper Jimmy Carter's engagement with Ruhollah Khomeini 1980 October Surprise theory Negotiations Algiers Accords America can't do a damn thing against us Beirut barracks bombings Khobar Towers bombing Lawrence Franklin espionage scandal Disappearance of Robert Levinson United States kill or capture strategy in Iraq United States raid on the Iranian Liaison Office in Erbil Kidnapping of Jalal Sharafi 2008 Naval dispute Filipino Monkey Project Cassandra Detention of American hikers United States diplomatic cables leak 2011 alleged Iran assassination plot Strait of Hormuz dispute RQ-170 incident MV Maersk Tigris 2016 Naval incident Nuclear program of Iran Timeline P5+1 Operation Merlin Charming Kitten Stuxnet Kidnapping of Hossein Alikhani Arrest of Meng Wanzhou Deportation of Iranian students at US airports May 2019 Gulf of Oman incident June 2019 Gulf of Oman incident 2019 Iranian shoot-down of American drone 2019 K-1 Air Base attack December 2019 United States airstrikes in Iraq and Syria Attack on the United States embassy in Baghdad 2020 Iran explosions 2021 Erbil rocket attacks 2021 Natanz incident February 2021 United States airstrike in Syria Leaked Mohammad Javad Zarif audiotape June 2021 United States airstrike in Syria July 2021 Gulf of Oman incident August 2021 Gulf of Oman incident 2021 U.S.–Iran naval incident 2022 Erbil missile attacks 2023 Northeastern Syria clashes Seizure of Suez Rajan and St Nikolas Attacks on U.S. bases in Iraq, Jordan, and Syria (2023–present) 2024 Erbil attack Tower 22 drone attack Iranian interference in the 2024 United States elections
Legislation	United States sanctions against Iran Maximum pressure campaign Executive Order 12170 Executive Order 12172 Executive Order 13769 reactions Trump travel ban Executive Order 13780 Executive Order 13876 Iran and Libya Sanctions Act Iran Nonproliferation Act Iran, North Korea, Syria Nonproliferation Act Iran Freedom and Support Act Iran Sanctions Enhancement Act Kyl–Lieberman Amendment Comprehensive Iran Sanctions, Accountability, and Divestment Act Iran Freedom and Counter-Proliferation Act Public Law 113-100 Iran Nuclear Agreement Review Act Countering America's Adversaries Through Sanctions Act Dames & Moore v. Regan United States Diplomatic and Consular Staff in Tehran Oil Platforms case United States v. Banki Bank Markazi v. Peterson Certain Iranian Assets Rubin v. Islamic Republic of Iran Alleged violations of Treaty of Amity
Groups and individuals	Iran Action Group Iran–America Society Iranian Students Association in the United States National Iranian American Council Organization of Iranian American Communities United Against Nuclear Iran Farashgard Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps Jundallah Kingdom Assembly of Iran National Council of Iran National Council of Resistance of Iran People's Mojahedin Organization of Iran Elliott Abrams Howard Baskerville William J. Fallon Brian Hook Joseph Macmanus Robert Malley Stephen D. Mull Erwin David Rabhan Jason Rezaian Scott Ritter Craig Wadsworth Michael R. White Roxana Saberi Saeed Abedini Saeid Aboutaleb Shahram Amiri Sirous Asgari Mahmoud Reza Banki Haleh Esfandiari Amir Mirza Hekmati Ezedin Abdel Aziz Khalil Shahrzad Mirgholikhan Mohammad Hosseini Esha Momeni Mohammad Mosaddegh Baquer Namazi Siamak Namazi Sahar Nowrouzzadeh Reza Pahlavi, Crown Prince of Iran Noor Pahlavi Trita Parsi Maryam Rajavi Abdolreza Shahlaei Ali Shakeri Masoud Soleimani Morad Tahbaz Kian Tajbakhsh Karan Vafadari Xiyue Wang Nizar Zakka Iranian Guantanamo Bay detainees Abdul Majid Muhammed
Related	1998 FIFA World Cup match Academic relations between Iran and the United States American Islam Anti-American sentiment in Iran Axis of evil CIA activities in Iran Copyright relations Death to America Dual containment Great Satan International Conference on Hollywoodism Iran and state-sponsored terrorism Iranian frozen assets Opposition to military action against Iran State Sponsor of Terrorism United States involvement in regime change United States and state-sponsored terrorism 650 Fifth Avenue Alavi Foundation Alborz High School American Institute of Iranian Studies American School of Isfahan Community School, Tehran Damavand College Iran Bethel School Iranzamin School Saint Peter Church, Tehran Tehran American School "Bomb Iran" Overthrow Not for the Faint of Heart
Category

• Iranian-American organizations
• 2012 establishments in Washington, D.C.
• Lobbying organizations based in Washington, D.C.