Should the Senate Put Sanctions Legislation on Hold?

Should the U.S. Senate Place Sanctions Legislation on Hold? 

November 12, 2013, Washington, D.C. – As the negotiations between Iran and the P5+1 (U.S., U.K., France, Russia, China, and Germany) continue, the U.S. Senate is deliberating on numerous legislative actions that would expand and tighten existing sanctions against Iran. 
 
Administration officials believe they have made significant progress towards an interim agreement, which would address immediate proliferation concerns by freezing Iran’s nuclear progress in exchange for limited relief of sanctions, while negotiations on a comprehensive final agreement would take place.  Officials have asked key Senators to temporarily hold off on implementing new sanctions while talks with Iran are in progress. They are scheduled to brief lawmakers on the status of negotiations this week.  However, a number of Senators, skeptical of Iran’s motives and discouraged that the potential interim deal would not be sufficient to halt Iran’s nuclear program, plan on pushing forward with the implementation of new sanctions.     

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U.S. Security Experts Applaud Obama’s Diplomatic Efforts

November 7, 2013, Washington, D.C. – A bipartisan group of 79 former military and diplomatic leaders, intelligence officials, policymakers, and senior security experts sent a letter to the White House today, praising President Obama’s diplomatic efforts to achieve a resolution to the nuclear impasse between the international community and Iran. The signatories included PAAIA Board member Hamid Biglari, PAAIA Public Policy Advisor Karim Sadjadpour of the Carnegie Endowment for International Peace, and numerous former U.S. ambassadors and high level state department officials.

The letter coincides with the start of a new round of negotiations in Geneva between Iran and the P5+1 countries today. “The hard work of diplomacy begins now,” the authors write in the letter to the president. “We support this new policy [of engagement] and pledge to help our fellow Americans appreciate the ambitious and transformative course you have chosen to build a more peaceful and more cooperative environment in the Middle East.”

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Darius Shahinfar Cruises to Victory to Become Albany Treasurer

November 6, 2013, Albany, NY – The Public Affairs Alliance of Iranian Americans congratulates Darius Shahinfar on his victory in the election for City Treasurer of Albany.   The election marks the second time an Iranian American has been voted to public office in the State of New York.

Shahinfar won the Democratic primary for Albany Treasurer on September 10, 2013, defeating  Albany County Legislator Gary Domalewicz by a 27-point margin.  Having secured all third-party endorsements, and given that there were no Republicans running in the race, Shahinfar was all but assured victory in Tuesday’s general election.

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