by Ahnaf Kalam Focus on Western Islamism November 30, 2022
As anti-regime demonstrations and subsequent crackdowns prompted by the death of Mahsa Amini in September turn into a full-blown rebellion in Iran, the National Iranian American Council (NIAC), a well-known think tank in Washington, D.C., is trying to rebrand itself as a critic of the Islamist regime for which it has served as an unofficial mouthpiece for the past two decades.
The rebranding effort is motivated by fear over having promoted narratives that distorted American foreign policy in the Middle East said Hassan Dai, a well-known Iranian dissident and expert on Tehran’s lobby in the United States. The policies NIAC supported, Dai said, emboldened Iranian abuses against its own citizens and acts of aggression in Syria, which in turn served to destabilize the Middle East.
“A large number of Iranian political activists and human rights advocates believe that NIAC’s main goal has been the promotion of U.S. policies that helped the regime and harmed the Iranian people’s interests,” said Dai, who successfully defended himself against a defamation lawsuit filed by NIAC over his claims that the organization was closely tied to the regime.
“They know that NIAC worked and collaborated closely with the regime officials and they are demanding accountability,” he added. “NIAC is done.”