Iran Action Hub

PAAIA is committed to supporting the people of Iran.

PAAIA supports the Iranian people’s ambitions for human rights and democracy, and we are advocating for their rights and freedoms. Iran has been consumed by nationwide protests, sparked by the death in state custody of Mahsa Amini, a 22-year-old who was arrested by Iran’s morality police for wearing hijab improperly. We at PAAIA continue to work with members of Congress in a bipartisan manner to ensure as much support as possible for the brave protesters fighting for freedom. 

In order to better inform the Iranian American community and general public on what PAAIA is working on, and actions that the Biden Administration, U.S. Congress, and international community are taking in support of the Iranian people, we are launching the Iran Action Hub. 

Actions You Can Take

These difficult times have many in our community asking what they can do to help. Here are links to a few actions you can take:

• Sign the Woman, Life, Freedom coalition letter urging the United Nations to remove Iran from the Commission on the Status of Women
• Tell Congress to help the Iranian people stay connected
• Tell Congress to support the bravery and courage of the Iranian People
• Read the Amnesty International petition calling on the United Nations Human Rights Council to investigate Iran’s human rights abuses

What PAAIA is Doing

As a credible voice of Iranian Americans, PAAIA knows that our community wants us to be engaged. Below are links to actions PAAIA has taken in solidarity with the Iranian people. PAAIA is also actively engaged with Congress on several legislative initiatives which are detailed in the section following this list.

• November 4th: PAAIA & Coalition of Iranian American Organizations Sign Letter Urging UN to remove Iran from the Commission on Status of Women
• October 27th: PAAIA hosts Congressional Briefing on Iran, attended by dozens of congressional offices
• October 18th: PAAIA & PARS Equality Center urge United Nations to investigate Iran’s human rights abuses
• October 3rd: PAAIA condemns deeply disturbing siege of Sharif University by Iranian security forces
• September 26th: PAAIA & Center for Human Rights in Iran issue statement praising General License D-2
• September 22nd: PAAIA issues statement mourning Mahsa Amini’s death
• PAAIA directly worked with Congress to secure support for multiple congressional initiatives: 
  • Bipartisan Letter to Meta on Content Moderation 
    • A bipartisan letter calling on Meta, Facebook’s parent company, to ensure its content moderation policies are not inadvertently suppressing Iranian voices, in response to reports that Meta is taking down online posts from protesters in Iran.
  • Bipartisan Letter Urging Tech Companies to Open Services to Iranian People
    • A bipartisan congressional letter urging tech companies such as Amazon, Google, Apple to help the Iranian people access the tools they need to circumvent government censorship by following updated sanctions guidelines.
  • House & Senate Bipartisan Concurrent Resolution
    • • Over 70 Members of Congress have thus far co-sponsored the resolution after the PAAIA community sent over 2000 emails to their Representatives and Senators. The Resolution expresses that Congress stands with the people of Iran and urges the Biden Administration to do everything in its power to support them, including measures it can take to help with internet freedom in Iran. 

Further, on September 23rd, the U.S. Departments of State & Treasury announced General License D-2 (GL D-2), an update to sanctions exemptions which makes it easier for the Iranian people to access independent internet technologies and circumvent the Iranian government’s censorship efforts.  

The announcement of GL D-2 is a huge victory which comes after years of advocacy by PAAIA on this front! PAAIA helped lead this effort and we are pleased that the Biden Administration has taken this action in support of internet freedom. 

How Congress and the Biden Administration are Responding

The U.S. government holds a lot of power which it can wield in support of Iranians. Below is a list of congressional initiatives as well as actions by the Biden Administration that PAAIA is aware of and sharing for informational purposes.

U.S. Congress

• House & Senate Bipartisan Concurrent Resolution: Over 70 Members of Congress have thus far co-sponsored the resolution after the PAAIA community sent over 2000 emails to their Representatives and Senators. The Resolution expresses that Congress stands with the people of Iran and urges the Biden Administration to do everything in its power to support them, including measures it can take to help with internet freedom in Iran. 
• Support for Iranian Political Prisoners Act: Legislation introduced to demand Iran end its human rights abuses and release all “arbitrarily detained individuals.”
• Bipartisan Congressional Resolution (Senate): Condemns Iran’s systemic persecution of women and peaceful protesters
• Bipartisan Congressional Resolution (House): Condemns Iranian regime’s behavior and supports peaceful protesters
• Mahsa Amini Human Rights and Security Accountability Act: Legislation which adds additional sanctions targeting the Supreme Leader of Iran and his inner circle
• Internet Freedom and Operations Act: Strengthens the U.S. government’s ability to combat authoritarian and repressive governments that are using Internet access as a means of suppressing information sharing and communications among everyday people, civil society organizations, and journalists 
• Bipartisan Letter to Meta on Content Moderation 
  • A bipartisan letter calling on Meta, Facebook’s parent company, to ensure its content moderation policies are not inadvertently suppressing Iranian voices, in response to reports that Meta is taking down online posts from protesters in Iran.
• Bipartisan Letter Urging Tech Companies to Open Services to Iranian People
  • A bipartisan congressional letter urging tech companies such as Amazon, Google, Apple to help the Iranian people access the tools they need to circumvent government censorship by following updated sanctions guidelines.
• Letter to the United Nations Regarding the Commission on the Status of Women

Biden Administration:

• November 17th: U.S. Treasury Department Sanctions Network Supporting Iranian Petrochemical and Petroleum Sales
• November 16th: National Security Advisor Jake Sullivan Condemns ”Mass Arrests, Sham Trials, and Death Sentence”
• November 16th: Treasury Sanctions Senior Officials and “Interrogator Journalists” of Iran’s State-Run Media
• November 2nd: Vice President Harris announces the U.S. government supports the call to remove Iran from the United Nations’ Commission on the Status of Women
• October 31st: Senior Biden Administration Official Says United States Government is “Unlikely to Move Forward with Nuclear Deal” 
• October 26th: Treasury Sanctions Iranian Officials and Entities Responsible for Ongoing Crackdown on Protests and Internet Censorship
• September 23rd: The U.S. Departments of State & Treasury announced General License D-2 (GL D-2), an update to sanctions regulations which makes it easier for the Iranian people to access internet and circumvent the Iranian government’s censorship
• September 22nd: Treasury Sanctions Iran’s Morality Police and Senior Security Officials for Violence Against Protesters and the Death of Mahsa Amini