Iranian Americans Urge Obama to Provide Assistance to Earthquake Victims

Iranian Americans Urge President Obama to Provide Assistance to Earthquake Victims

April 11, 2013, Washington D.C. – The Public Affairs Alliance of Iranian Americans (PAAIA), along with a number of other Iranian American organizations, submitted a letter to President Obama on Thursday. In the letter, the coalition of organizations urged the president to take appropriate action to enable humanitarian and reconstruction assistance for the victims of the recent earthquake in southwestern Iran.  The coalition commended previous instances where the administration has issued a general license temporarily authorizing charitable organizations to provide direct humanitarian and reconstruction assistance to the Iranian people: in 2012, when two earthquakes struck northwestern Iran, and in 2003, when an earthquake struck the Iranian city of Bam.

Click here to read the full text of the letter.

PAAIA Board Member Among Recipients of  Ellis Island Medal of Honor

April 11, 2013, New York City – Eight highly accomplished Iranian Americans will be awarded the 2011 Ellis Island Medal of Honor on May 11th, 2013 for “exemplifying outstanding qualities in both their personal and professional lives, while continuing to preserve the richness of their particular heritage.”   The honorees include:

Jamshid Ehsani, Scientist, global financial expert and philanthropist

Dr. Jamshid Ghajar, Neurosurgeon and founder of the Brain Trauma Foundation

Dr. Hossein Gharib, international authority on Thyroid disorders

Mr. Yousef Javadi, entrepreneur, innovator, and PAAIA Board Member

Mr. Vahid Kooros, founder of Oxus Energy LLC, businessman and philanthropist

Mr. Farshad Mahjoor, Architect, businessman, industrialist, and philanthropist

Mr. David Merage, Principal, Consolidated Investment Group and philanthropist

Dr. Pardis Sabeti, Associate Professor, Center for Evolutionary Biology, Harvard University, Senior Associate Member of the Broad Institute of Harvard and MIT

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Atlantic Council Report on Iran Sanctions and People to People Exchanges

April 11, 2013, Washington, D.C. – The Atlantic Council issued a new report on April 4^th outlining U.S. foreign policy goals regarding Iran, and suggesting steps the Obama administration can take to achieve them.  The report, Time to Move from Tactics to Strategy on Iran, was issued by the Washington-based think tank’s Iran Task Force, chaired by Ambassador Stuart Eizenstat. 

The report emphasizes the number one U.S. priority regarding Iran: to prevent the country from acquiring nuclear weapons. To enhance the chances of diplomatic success, the report recommends that the Obama administration provide Iran with a plan for graduated sanctions relief in return for a verifiable cap on its uranium enrichment and transparency on any past or possibly continuing weapons related programs.

Click here to read more.

Abtahi and Omar Campaigns Gain Momentum

April 9, 2013, Washington, D.C. – With the May 11, 2013 elections fast approaching, the campaigns of Bobby Abtahi for the Dallas, Texas city council and Amir Omar for mayor of Richardson, Texas continue to gain momentum with recent endorsements by realtors. 

If successful, both campaigns will have a profound impact on breaking the political glass ceiling for the Iranian American community.  Abtahi will make history by becoming the first Iranian American elected to the Dallas city council, while Omar will become the first Iranian American to be a directly elected mayor.

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PAAIA and Takhsh Law Assist Iranian Students on F-1 Visas

PAAIA is pleased to announce the publication of Takhsh Law’s guidelines on statements and supporting documents to assist Iranian F-1 students experiencing financial hardship with applications for off-campus work authorization.