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| Abbreviation | OIAC |
|---|---|
| Formation | 2012; 12 years ago (2012) |
| Headquarters | Washington, D.C., U.S. |
| Political Director | Majid Sadeghpour |
| Parent organization | People's Mujahedin of Iran |
| Website | www |
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
| Annual lobbying expenses of MEK (including those of OIAC) | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Spending in thousand dollars | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
|
Total: 3093 | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Source: Al-Monitor Lobbying Tracker | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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
References
- 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.
- 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.
- Ackerman, Spencer (19 September 2018). "Giuliani to Speak Beside Leader of Accused Iranian 'Cult'". Daily Beast. Retrieved 17 December 2018.
- 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.
- Clifton, Eli (6 May 2015). "Tom Cotton Allies Himself with the MEK". LobeLog. Retrieved 17 December 2018.
- "Iran is at the heart of radical Islam". thehill.com. 20 January 2015. Retrieved 1 February 2016.
- "U.S. court detains Calif. man charged with serving as agent of Iran, surveilling Americans". Washington Post. Retrieved 2018-11-28.
- Lipin, Michael. "US Judge Denies Bond to Iranian Man Accused of Spying for Tehran". VOA. Retrieved 2018-11-28.
- Protesters Rally Against Iranian President at United Nations by REBECCA GIBIAN, Associated Press; 20 September 2017
- Demonstrators gather at White House to support Iranian ‘liberty, democracy’; By Dick Uliano, WTOP-FM, 6 January 2018
- The Organization of Iranian American Communities holds a demonstration across from the White House in solidarity with protesters in Iran, Washington, Jan. 6, 2018
- Haaretz
- 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
- 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
- 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
- ^ 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
- ^ 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
- Calbreath, Dean (28 June 2013), "Filner Visits Iranian Resistance In Paris", The Daily Transcript, KPBS Public Broadcasting, retrieved 30 March 2018
- Detsch, Jack (12 December 2017), "Trump rhetoric divides Iranian-Americans", Al-Monitor, archived from the original on 24 March 2018, retrieved 30 March 2020
- "Lobbying by Organization of Iranian American Communities", ProPublica, archived from the original on 8 April 2020, retrieved 30 March 2020
