Iran

On April 1, an alleged Israeli airstrike near Iran's embassy in Damascus, Syria, reportedly killed seven members of Iran's Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC), a U.S.-designated terror organization. Among those killed was a top IRGC commander, Mohammad Reza Zahedi.

Here’s a primer on more than a dozen proxy terror groups that have taken their orders from the Iranian regime, threatening civilian lives around the world.

This week President Biden re-designated Yemen’s Houthis as a global terrorist group amid its increasing attacks on international shipping in the Red Sea. Meanwhile, in Lebanon, the Hezbollah terror group continues to threaten Israel's northern border, and the Israel-Hamas war continues as Hamas still holds more than 100 Israeli hostages taken on 10/7.

The attack against AMIA struck not only a building, but the heart and soul of Argentina and its Jewish community — the sixth largest in the world and the largest in Latin America. This was a blatant attack on our shared values of peace, inclusion and coexistence. In defending these values, we must come together as a global community to bring these murderers and their benefactors to justice.

Since Raisi assumed the presidency, Iran’s repressive practices, targeting religious minorities, women human rights defenders, and others, have only deepened, notwithstanding expressions of alarm by international human rights experts.

I am thrilled for the Americans who will soon be reunited with their families after so many years. As the author of the Robert Levinson Hostage Recovery and Hostage-Taking Accountability Act (2020), I welcomed the sanctions leveled by the Administration against Ahmadinejad who notoriously oversaw the political hostage-taking of many Americans and foreign nationals, including my former constituent Robert Levinson, who went missing in Iran in 2007. Iran has still not accounted for Bob’s disappearance and tragic passing. The Levinson family deserves this justice.

I am encouraged by the news that five Americans whose lives, and whose families’ lives, have been upended by Iran’s longstanding callous practice of political hostage-taking and wrongfully detaining foreign nationals for use as bargaining chips, are closer than ever before to coming home as a result of the agreement announced today.

Today at AJC Global Forum 2023, Lithuanian Prime Minister Ingrida Šimonytė said her nation stands with Israel in stemming the threat posed by Iran’s growing nuclear capability and promised her country would do its part to keep Iran’s nuclear ambitions in check.

The death of a 22-year-old Iranian woman, Mahsa Amini, at the hands of Iran’s “morality police” last year has spurred widespread protests over the last several weeks. The ensuing government crackdown on protestors and innocent bystanders has led to an alarming human rights situation and growing calls for the United States and the international community to mobilize to address these widespread abuses.

American Jewish Committee (AJC) CEO Ted Deutch, in a letter to President Biden, has urged the United States to mobilize the international community to convene a Special Session of the UN Human Rights Council to address the Iranian regime’s deadly crackdown on peaceful protesters. AJC also launched today an online campaign, AJC.org/StopIranAbuses, encouraging individuals to sign a petition calling on the White House to take action detailed in Deutch’s letter to the president

Author, journalist, and poet Roya Hakakian shares her personal story of growing up Jewish in Iran during the reign of the Shah and then Ayatollah Khomeini, which she wrote about in her memoir, "Journey From the Land of No." Joining Hakakian is Dr. Saba Soomekh, a professor of world religions and Middle Eastern history who wrote From the Shahs to Los Angeles: Three Generations of Iranian Jewish Women between Religion and Culture. She also serves as associate director of AJC Los Angeles, home to America’s largest concentration of Persian Jewish immigrants. 

Behnam Ben Talebu, a senior fellow at the Foundation for Defense of Democracies (FDD) joins AJC Chief Policy and Political Affairs Officer Jason Isaacson to break down the specifics of the emerging Iranian nuclear deal and explain why the nuclear threat is only one element of the broader danger posed by Iran. 

Listen to the trailer for The Forgotten Exodus, a limited podcast series brought to you by American Jewish Committee (AJC), explores the untold stories of Jews who left or were driven from Arab nations and Iran.

At AJC Global Forum 2022, Lisa Pruzan, a member of AJC’s National Board of Governors and AJC’s Women’s Leadership Board, presented the AJC Moral Courage Award to Masih Alinejad, an Iranian activist who has dedicated her life to exposing the abuses of the Iranian regime, risking her life in the process to shed light on those human rights abuses and advocate for the Iranian women who are fighting bravely for a better future.

Masih Alinejad, one of the most outspoken opponents of the Islamic regime in Tehran, was honored today by American Jewish Committee (AJC) with the global advocacy organization’s Moral Courage Award. AJC honored Alinejad for her “moral, intellectual, and physical courage, extraordinary bravery, and commitment to the protection of human rights.”

The Washington Post’s Jason Rezaian, who was held hostage by Iran for nearly two years and was released in a prisoner swap the day the 2015 Iran nuclear deal (JCPOA) went into effect, joins us to share his unique perspective on the reported nuclear deal emerging in negotiations between Tehran and world powers.

According to AJC CEO David Harris, here are four things the United States can do to try to ensure a restored Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action (JCPOA) demonstrates a global front against Iran’s aggression.

In his latest interview with Germany’s BILD, the most-read newspaper in Europe, AJC CEO David Harris discusses Germany-Iran ties, Germany-Israel relations, COVID-19 conspiracy theories, Holocaust relativization and other current issues.

Improving Iran’s human rights record must be among negotiators’ top priorities as they seek to restore a nuclear agreement.

With Iran continuing its efforts to assert power in the Middle East, uncertainty looms for millions of people, especially women, whose rights are hanging in the balance. Join American Jewish Committee (AJC) and Masih Alinejad, an Iranian journalist, author, and women’s rights campaigner, for a timely discussion on the evolving human rights situation and her efforts to highlight Tehran’s abuses.

Earlier this week, four Iranian operatives were charged in the attempted kidnapping of the U.S.-based Iranian exile Masih Alinejad, a human rights activist and journalist. Alinejad was kicked out of her native country nearly a decade ago for her anti-veiling advocacy. This week on the podcast, we’re joined by AJC Europe Managing Director Simone Rodan Benzaquen, who recently interviewed Alinejad about her activism and the harrowing experiences she faced in Iran. 

Last week, Ebrahim Raisi, a hardline cleric known as “the Butcher of Tehran” for having overseen thousands of executions, was chosen to succeed Hassan Rouhani as Iran’s president. Daniel Schwammenthal, Director of AJC’s Brussels-based Transatlantic Institute, joins us to discuss what Raisi’s selection means for the future of Iran and ongoing nuclear talks. We also hear from leading public Israeli intellectual Micah Goodman, who previously sat down with us on the podcast to discusses his book Catch-67, which focuses on “decreasing the conflict” until a permanent deal can be reached. 

His Excellency Dr. Abdullatif bin Rashid Al Zayani, Minister of Foreign Affairs of the Kingdom of Bahrain, addressed a worldwide audience of thousands participating in the 2021 American Jewish Committee Virtual Global Forum. In a conversation with Jason Isaacson, AJC Chief Policy and Political Affairs Officer, the foreign minister discussed the historic Abraham Accords, Bahrain-U.S. relations, and the Iranian threat.

At AJC Virtual Global Forum 2021, two foreign policy veterans participated in The Max Fisher Annual Program: The Great Debate: Is the Iran Nuclear Deal Worth Saving? The session pitted Ambassador Gérard Araud, Ambassador of France to the United States (2014-19), the United Nations (2009-14), and Israel (2003-06) against Michael Doran, Middle East analyst and National Security Council Senior Director (2005-07).

Have American, European, and Israeli policymakers learned anything since signing the 2015 Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action (JCPOA), known as the Iran nuclear deal? We sat down this week with AJC Jerusalem Director Avital Leibovich, AJC Transatlantic Institute Director Daniel Schwammenthal, and AJC Chief Policy and Political Affairs Officer Jason Isaacson to analyze what the next few months could bring. We were also joined by AJC CEO David Harris for a closing message on Iran.

In 2015, American Jewish Committee (AJC) opposed the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action (JCPOA) decision and debate, believing it was too risky a proposition. What have European, Israeli, and American policymakers learned from the last six years? Join us for a special live recording of AJC’s podcast, People of the Pod, with AJC Jerusalem Director Avital Leibovich, AJC Transatlantic Institute Director Daniel Schwammenthal, and AJC Chief Policy and Political Affairs Officer Jason Isaacson, in discussion with co-host, Seffi Kogen, as they analyze what the next few months could bring.

Earlier this month, six world powers reopened negotiations with Iran over the 2015 nuclear deal, known as the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action (JCPOA), from which the United States withdrew in 2018. Washington Institute Director of Research Patrick Clawson, a longtime friend of American Jewish Committee, joins us to discuss the implications of those talks and the threat posed by Iran.

The talks in Vienna offer the prospect of a better deal with binding, enduring restrictions on Iran’s production, stockpile, and use of enriched uranium, with unhindered international monitoring, as well as on its ballistic missile development and destabilizing regional behavior.

Resuming contacts with Iran has become an early foreign policy priority for the Biden administration. American Jewish Committee (AJC) CEO David Harris, a long-time observer of the Iran issue, offers six recommendations to the Biden Administration for any future negotiations with the Iranian regime.

The U.S. and its European and Middle Eastern allies have been bitterly divided over how to contain Tehran's nuclear and regional aggression. The incoming Biden administration now has a unique chance to finally build a domestically and internationally united front against the Islamic Republic.

Sima Shine, former head of the Mossad’s research division and current senior researcher at Israel’s Institute for National Security Studies (INSS), joins us to discuss recent developments related to Iran, including the recent death of Mohsen Fakhrizadeh, who headed the country’s nuclear weapons program.

The U.S. decisions to enter into, and subsequently leave, the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action (JCPOA) have been a subject of debate among world leaders and arms control experts. Join government experts for a critical look at the future of the JCPOA, Iran’s regional aggression, U.S. policy, and challenges for the next four years.

The U.S. decisions to enter into, and subsequently leave, the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action (JCPOA) have been a subject of debate among world leaders and arms control experts. Join us for a critical look at the future of the JCPOA, Iran’s regional aggression, U.S. policy, and challenges for the next four years.

The transatlantic partners tend to agree to disagree on how to tackle the Iranian threat. While Europeans and the U.S. still don’t see eye to eye on the merits of the 2015 nuclear deal, both sides recognize the need to contain the regime’s regional aggression and global terror network.

This week on People of the Pod, we sit down with Middle East experts Patrick Clawson, Research Director at the Washington Institute for Near East Policy, and Tamara Cofman Wittes, Senior Fellow in the Center for Middle East Policy at the Brookings Institution, to talk about the rising tensions between the U.S. and Iran. Then, Deborah Lauter, Executive Director of New York’s new Office for the Prevention of Hate Crimes, joins us to discuss efforts to curb the rash of antisemitic attacks across the city. Finally, in honor of AJC’s #JewishandProud Day, we went around New York City to ask people what makes them proud to be Jewish.

Mithal Jamal Al-Alusi, an Iraqi politician who has reached out to Israel and world Jewry, was honored today with the American Jewish Committee (AJC) Jan Karski Award.

Syria and Iran are entwined tighter than an intricately woven Persian carpet. Unless Syrian President Bashar Assad has a change of heart and decides to expel Iranian forces, his most treasured foreign guests are staying.

Only a firm, hard headed set of specific demands, particularly on reversing the "sunset clauses" of the JCPOA and ensuring that Iran will never obtain enough fissile material for the bomb, will actually produce "a better deal."

Following President Donald J. Trump’s Executive Order yesterday, which restored major sanctions on Iran, AJC CEO David Harris issued the following statement: We support the U.S. decision

At AJC Global Forum 2018 in Israel, four foreign policy experts examined the current state of the Iran threat in a conversation moderated by Yoav Limor, Senior Defense Correspondent for Israel Hayom.

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu will hold meetings in European capitals June 4-7. He will confer with German Chancellor Angela Merkel, British Prime Minister Theresa May, and French President Emmanuel Macron, and will attend several events for the France-Israel cross-cultural season.

The dramatic decision by President Trump to "nix" the JCPOA, and its immediate aftermath, seem to confirm the worst suspicions that Americans and Israelis, on one hand, and Western Europeans, on the other, tend to harbor about each other.

On this week’s AJC Passport, we spoke with Mark Dubowitz about the U.S. withdrawal from the Iran deal and with Dr. Matthew Levitt about Lebanon’s recent elections and escalating tension between Israel and Iran.

AJC CEO David Harris, responding to President Trump’s announcement today that the United States will withdraw from the Iran nuclear deal, issued the following statement:

With just eight days left before President Trump's deadline to fix or nix the nuclear deal, European negotiators striving to save the JCPOA ought to redouble their efforts now to find common ground with their American counterparts.

AJC deplored the European Parliament for barring a cross-party group of EU lawmakers from hosting a cartoon exhibition highlighting Tehran’s human rights violations.

Even for a nation quite used to dramatic news, what happened within the span of four days – from Shabbat morning to Tuesday evening – came as a shock to Israelis.

AJC noted President Trump’s announcement today that the U.S. will not pull out of the 2015 nuclear deal with Iran and will again waive the reimposition of sanctions, but will take punitive steps against Iran for issues not directly related to the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action (JCPOA).

In this episode, we examine the surprisingly muted reaction in Europe and how the Iranian diaspora has responded.

Europe’s voice has been strangely missing as tens of thousands of Iranians have been protesting for dignity, freedom, and economic survival.

In the eyes of many Americans, European leaders tend to oversell the deal, touting it as the bloc’s prize diplomatic accomplishment.

For Israel, President Trump's speech announcing decertification of Iran's compliance with the JCPOA creates a situation fraught with uncertainties.

AJC praised Uruguay for expelling a senior Iranian diplomat suspected of involvement with a bomb placed near Israel’s embassy in Montevideo. No one was hurt and the bomb was defused.

AJC praised the U.S. Senate Banking Committee for passing, with strong bipartisan support, a bill that will set the stage to impose additional economic sanctions on Iran if current negotiations on its nuclear program fail to yield a permanent agreement.

AJC is shocked by the death of Alberto Nisman, the Argentina Special Prosecutor investigating the 1994 bombing of the AMIA Jewish community center in Buenos Aires, which resulted in 85 fatalities and hundreds of wounded.

AJC called on the U.S. and European governments to strongly condemn an international gathering in Tehran promoting hatred of Jews and Israel.

AJC welcomed the limited extension in the P5+1 nuclear talks with Iran announced early today in Vienna.

Jason Isaacson, AJC Chief Policy and Political Affairs Officer, spoke with India Today on how Iran’s extensive terror network threatens India, the entire region, and the world. Isaacson also discusses the importance of Israel defending itself and defeating Hamas.