Iran

The U.S. is edging dangerously close to another unauthorized war in the Middle East. Recent escalations between Israel and Iran—sparked by Israel’s unprovoked airstrikes in June—have brought the region to the brink of a full-blown regional war. 

While the media is largely portraying the Yemen group chat scandal as a case of incompetence, it’s overlooking the deadly, illegal, and ineffective nature of the strikes themselves—as well as the very real danger of an escalating military conflict with not only the Houthis in Yemen, but also Iran. 

FCNL welcomes the release of five United States citizens who were unjustly detained in Iran.

On this fifth anniversary of the United States disastrous withdrawal from the Iran Nuclear Deal (JCPOA), it is imperative that President Biden follow through on his commitment to uphold human rights, prevent war, and rein in Iran’s nuclear program.

In March, Saudi Arabia and Iran announced they had normalized relations in a deal brokered by China. For the US, the deal is both a wakeup call and a chance to address urgent priorities with diplomacy.

FCNL Legislative Director for Middle East Policy Hassan El-Tayyab was interviewed on BBC World, where he discussed the agreement between Saudi Arabia and Iran. “The US should take advantage of this opportunity to shift its approach in the Middle East away from dominance, hegemony, and endless war, and towards diplomacy, restraint, and support for regional power-sharing agreements like the one we are seeing play out right now,” El-Tayyab said.

The Friends Committee on National Legislation (FCNL), Win Without War, Quincy Institute for Responsible Statecraft, and National Iranian American Council (NIAC) released a coalition letter, signed by nearly 50 national organizations, in response to U.S. Ambassador to Israel Tom Nides’ worrying comments that “Israel can and should do whatever they need to deal with [Iran’s nuclear program] and we’ve got their back.”

In a 420-1 vote, the House passed H.Con.Res.7, a bipartisan resolution led by Rep. Claudia Tenney (NY-24) in support of Iranian protesters seeking to defend their fundamental human rights. It’s critical that the Senate now takes up this common sense measure to condemn the killing of Jina Mahsa Amini and the Iranian government’s crackdown on civil society, while recognizing the bravery of the Iranian people.

Twenty-five national faith organizations released a statement today calling on President Joe Biden to pursue an expeditious return to Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action (JCPOA), also known as the Iran nuclear deal.

As negotiators in Iran and the United States near a mutual return to the Iran nuclear deal, some in Congress are threatening to block ratification of the agreement. It is critical that advocates continue to stay engaged and speak out in favor of diplomacy with Iran. Restoring the nuclear deal will help de-escalate tensions in the region, end the humanitarian suffering caused by economic sanctions against Iran, and prevent nuclear proliferation.