Nina Hajian: Behind the Music

- Once upon a time, I thought I was going to be a pop star." For anyone who knows Nina Hajian, the bubbly outgoing radio personality for NOW 100.5 FM radio's Todd and Nina Morning Show, the declaration is not surprising... -herlifemagazine.com - 4/17/14

Welcome to the body parts shop... would you like to place an order?

- Professor Alexander Seifalian (UCL Centre for Nanotechnology & Regenerative Medicine) and his team are aiming to make organ donation a thing of the past, combining nano-composite materials with stem cell technologies for the growth of replacement organs. - 4/14/14

Eight Iranian-Americans among recipients of the 2014 Ellis Island Medal of Honor

- Eight Iranian-Americans are among the recipients of the 2014 Ellis Island Medal of Honor which will be awarded on May 10th, 2014. The medals are presented annually to American citizens who have distinguished themselves within their own ethnic groups while exemplifying the values of the American way of life. - 4/7/14

Rostampour Lifts Omaha to Historic CIT Win

- Omaha was led by a magnificent performance from junior forward Mike Rostampour, whose third career double-double came with 16 points and a career-high 21 rebounds. His rebound total was the sixth-highest for a single game in school history -Omaha Athletics - 4/7/14

Man held on suspicion of kidnapping British-Iranian businessman

- Ali Rehmat Assadi, an Iranian, arrested in Thailand and deported to UAE over abduction of Abbas Yazdi, who went missing last June. The UAE newspaper 7Days quoted Yazdi's wife as saying the trader and investor was a close childhood friend of a son of the former Iranian president Akbar Hashemi Rafsanjani. -Guardian - 4/6/14

Banks Targeting Iranian Americans - What Are Your Rights?

- Recently, we have heard from a number of people concerned about the increased scrutiny they have faced from US banks as a result of their Iranian citizenship. We want to clarify the basis for this increased scrutiny, as well as outline what rights Iranian-Americans have to best ensure that they can continue to conduct normal banking activities in the US without interruption. -Tyler Cullis, NIAC - 4/4/14

NIAC to hold California Action Summit on May 4 in Palo Alto

- The summit aims to help strengthen our community's political clout in the epicenter of the Iranian-American community - California. By investing in ourselves as civic leaders, we can use our resources, talents, and drive to effect big changes in Washington. But that can't happen without you! Register today for NIAC's first annual California Action Summit and join us in making history! - 4/4/14

Iranians sue UK banks over closed accounts, claiming racial discrimination

- A group of Iranians, including a nine-year-old girl, have taken three high-street UK banks to court for what they believe is a misreading of sanctions policy, alleging they have been subjected to racial discrimination after being told that their accounts had to close. -Saeed Kamali Dehghan, Guardian - 3/31/14

Representative Cyrus Habib's bill to aid entrepreneurs, create jobs wins approval in Washington State's Senate

- The state's economy will get a boost from entrepreneurs tapping into a 21st-century model of financial backing to start businesses and create jobs, under the Washington Jobs Act of 2014, a bill passed by the Senate March 8. -Rep. Cyrus Habib - 3/29/14

Persian New Year Celebrations in Portland, Oregon

- Iranian Student Association of Portland Norouz Celebration: Saturday, March 22nd' Persian New Year Celebration: Saturday, March 29th; Nowruz Ensemble: Festive Traditional Persian Music: Saturday, April 12th - 3/25/14

"Bita Prize For Young Persian Artists" Awarded To Pianist Dena Taherianfar

- In a ceremony held at Stanford University last Wednesday evening, March 12, 2014, global philanthropist and humanitarian Bita Daryabari awarded the First Annual Bita Prize for Young Persian Artists to acclaimed seventeen-year-old concert pianist Dena Taherianfar. - 3/24/14

Born in the U.S., Playing for Iran

- Steven Beitashour was 11 during the 1998 World Cup in France, where the United States, the country of his birth, faced Iran, where his parents were born. The family gathered at home in San Jose to watch as Iran won, 2-1, in a match that drew extraordinary interest because of the political estrangement between the countries. -Jere Longman, NY Times - 3/24/14

PAAIA Celebrates Nowruz on Capitol Hill

- PAAIA's annual Nowruz reception on Capitol Hill is part of its broader effort to celebrate and foster greater understanding of Iranian culture, and to project an accurate and positive image of the Iranian American community. In attendance were ten members of Congress as well as more than a hundred and fifty congressional staff and special guests. - 3/22/14

President Obama's Nowruz Message to the Iranian People

- President Obama sends best wishes to everyone celebrating Nowruz. In his video message, the President speaks directly to the people and leaders of the Islamic Republic of Iran about the possibility for the first time in many years of a new chapter in the history of Iran and its role in the world - including a better relationship with the United States and the American people. - 3/20/14

NIAC Applauds General License for U.S.-Iran Academic Exchanges

- NIAC strongly supports the Obama Administration's decision this Norooz to exempt educational exchanges from sanctions. NIAC is pleased that 'General License G' addresses key obstacles to building bridges between Iran and the U.S. Educational exchanges are immensely important in tearing down the barriers and rebuilding a long overdo friendship between Iranians and Americans. - 3/20/14

John Kerry joins the Norouz celebration

- On the occasion of Iranian New Year (Norouz), United States Secretary of State, John Kerry, sent a twit today sharing the photo of "Sofreh Haftsin" outside his office and sending his best wishes for a happy new year. - 3/20/14

Nowruz Meet and Greet at Oakland Museum of California

- Oakland's popular weekly family nights will represent the Persian New Year celebration "Nowruz"! Join OMCA and Off the Grid on 10th Street for a taste of local music, food, art, culture! Savor California beer, wine and non-alcoholic beverages around the Koi Pond at the Blue Oak beer garden. - Friday, March 28, 2014, 5-9 pm - 3/18/14

Shervin Pishevar Awards Cyrus Prize to Dropbox Co-Founder at Bita Daryabari's 4th Annual Pars Equality Center Nowruz Gala

- Pars Equality Center celebrated its 4th Annual Nowruz Gala in honor of the Persian New Year in San Francisco. The nearly $500K in funds raised at this popular yearly event will go towards the continued funding of the Center's social and legal programs in both the Bay area and Los Angeles, as well as helping PEC's expansion into additional U.S. markets. - 3/17/14

2014 Nowruz Celebration in Orange County

- Honoring the Iranian New Year in Orange County with Music, Dance, Family-friendly Entertainment, and a Special Nowruz Concert Featuring the "Nowruz Ensemble with guest vocalist Mamak Khadem" - 3/17/14

Congressman Keith Ellison Joined NIAC's Day of Service

- Congressman Keith Ellison (D-MN) joined NIAC volunteers on March 9 to spend the day working with Sharing and Caring Hands, an organization helping homeless families, in Minneapolis. NIAC's 4th Annual Day of Service engaged Iranian Americans in community service projects in 10 cities nationwide. - 3/15/14

Persia in New York

- Beyond the tragedy of Brooklyn-based band the Yellow Dogs, a vibrant scene of Iranian artists, musicians, filmmakers, designers, and actors is flourishing in America, centered in New York. If there's a silver lining to the story, it's the chance to recognize and celebrate the vital work of Iranians in the arts living here. -Vanity Fair - 3/14/14

The Iranian Genome Project Seeks Samples

- Dr. Pardis Sabeti MD/Ph.D., professor at Harvard University and MIT's Broad Institute, has had the opportunity to study the genetics of many different populations throughout her storied career. But one population missing from the genetics research done by Dr. Sabeti and others is her own - the Iranian population. - 3/13/14

Partovi twins quietly emerge as top Silicon Valley angel investors

- Ali and Hadi Partovi may not be household names, but the twins have quietly helped launch some of Silicon Valley's biggest startups of recent vintage. Hadi co-founded Tellme Networks, which Microsoft bought for a reported $800 million. Ali co-founded Internet advertising pioneer LinkExchange, which Microsoft bought for $265 million -Peter Delevett, San Jose Mercury - 3/13/14

Iran Heritage Foundation Curator for Persian Manuscripts at British Library

- British Library are seeking to appoint a Curator to work with the British Library's collections of Persian manuscripts. Building on work already completed during the previous two years, your main duties will be creating electronic records for both catalogued and uncatalogued material, and to further knowledge of the collections, working closely with the Persian curators, the Iran Heritage Foundation and the UK Higher Education Sector. - 3/13/14

Nowruz at the Midnight Mission in Los Angeles: "Good Thoughts, Good Words, Good Deeds"

- On Friday March 14th the Midnight Mission and Southern California Iranians will reunite for the third annual Nowruz at the Midnight Mission event in Downtown's Skid Row sponsored by Skechers USA, Inc. The spirit of Nowruz is one of renewal and promises of a better, brighter start, a pursuit the Midnight Mission strives for every day. - 3/12/14

Bank of Hawaii Re-Opens Accounts for Iranians in U.S.

- NIAC welcomes the decision by Bank of Hawaii to re-open bank accounts for Iranian customers. As NIAC Advisory Board member Dr. Farideh Farhi first reported, the bank had terminated the accounts of Iranian customers in the U.S. in an effort to comply with U.S. financial sanctions against Iran. - 3/12/14

Report of "Medical Access for Iranians" Event in San Francisco

- On Sunday, February 22, over 140 members of the National Iranian American Council (NIAC), Iranian American Bar Association (IABA), Havaar, and National Lawyers' Guild (NLG) attended a charity fundraiser in San Francisco to raise awareness about the impact of US sanctions on ordinary Iranians' medical access. - 3/6/14

Iranians in Malaysia dismayed by visa change

- Many Iranians in Malaysia are upset about the ending of the policy that enabled them to obtain a 90-day visa on arrival (VOA), according to the Malaysian Iran Friendship Association (MIFA). - 3/6/14

Why some people have no tolerance for linguistic diversity?

- I was talking with two friends in the dressing room of a gym. A lady came from the shower, walked to her locker, grabbed her clothes, turned around to us and said: "I don't understand a word of what you are saying to each other". My friend: "Don't worry, madam. Our conversation is not very exciting. We are discussing a Persian recipe". -Ferdows Kazemi - 3/4/14

PARSA Community Foundation Scholars at Tufts University Tackle Large Global Issues

- "Having been raised in a region where people are suffering from misguided economic policies," explains Maliheh Birjandi-Feriz, a first year PhD candidate in economics at Yale University, "I realized that development and economics are not about statistics and math, rather they are about people and their livelihood." - 3/4/14

Iran Heritage Foundation's Norouz Gala 2014 in London

- Iran Heritage Foundation Invites you to celebrate The Persian New Year NOROUZ with its legendary hospitality on Saturday 22nd March 2014 at The Grosvenor House, Park Lane, London W1K 7TN. Featuring Rising Star Rana Mansour - 3/3/14

The Pars Equality Center 4th Annual Nowruz Gala In Northern California

- We are pleased to announce that with the kind generosity and support received from both Iranian and American community, event has been sold out three weeks prior to the date. Please check our auction items at www.parsnowruzgala.com - 3/3/14

First Annual Bita Prize for Young Persian Artists Awarded To Pianist Dena Taherianfar

- Dena Taherianfar was born in Tehran, in November of 1996. She began taking lessons in piano when she was six. Her first teacher was Mrs. Shohreh J. Ghajar. Dena gave her debut concert in the renowned Roudaki Concert Hall of Tehran in 2008. At her teacher's suggestion, Dena eventually moved to Vienna where she began to study piano with Prof. Stanislaw Tichonow at the Joseph Haydn Conservatory. - 2/28/14

In Memoriam of Dr. Akbar Ghahary

- Last night, the Public Affairs Alliance of Iranian Americans lost one of its board members, and the Iranian American community lost one of its staunchest supporters. Dr. Akbar Ghahary, a member of the board of directors of PAAIA's affiliated PAC, the Iranian American Political Action Committee (IAPAC), passed away from heart complications. - 2/28/14

The 2014 IAAB Summer Leadership Institute Returns to the South in July

- IAAB is pleased to present its 2014 Summer Leadership Institute (SLI), which is being held from July 6th to July 18th at Emory University in Atlanta, Georgia. The 2014 SLI houses IAAB's celebrated annual Iranian American high school and middle school leadership camps, Camp Ayandeh and Camp Ayandeh Javan - 2/27/14

6th Annual Nowruz (Iranian New Year) Celebration at LACMA

- For the sixth year in a row, Farhang Foundation will celebrate Nowruz (Iranian New Year) at the Los Angeles County Museum of Art (LACMA) in what has become the foundation's signature event, drawing thousands of visitors to the museum in recent years. - 2/26/14

Smithsonian's Freer and Sackler Galleries Celebrate the Persian New Year with a Free Family Festival

- The Freer Gallery of Art and the Arthur M. Sackler Gallery will present its sixth annual "Nowruz: A Persian New Year Celebration" free family festival Saturday, March 8, from 11 a.m. to 7:30 p.m. Throughout the day, visitors of all ages can dance, play and feast to mark the Persian year of 1393 at a celebration encompassing both museums and including live music, film, art making, hands-on workshops and traditional cuisine. - 2/25/14

Iran Sanctions Hit the Aloha State (via Bank of Hawai'i)

- Let me begin by saying that I have been a long-standing critic of US sanctions against Iran. Irrespective of my distaste for Iran's structure of governance, I have not been shy in calling out the sanctions regime as collective punishment of the Iranian people. I have also been worried that they will eventually ensnare Iranians living in the United States. -Farideh Farhi - 2/25/14

British-Iranian man's kidnap in Dubai: Wife blames UK

- The wife of a British businessman who went missing in Dubai has said she blames the UK government for his disappearance. Abbas Yazdi is thought to have been kidnapped by Iranian intelligence agents last June after the Serious Fraud Office passed on his private business documents to Iran. -BBC - 2/25/14

"Cultures of the Iranian Diaspora" Conference in San Jose State University, California

- Join San Jose State University Persian Studies for the first-ever "Cultures of the Iranian Diaspora"-- a two-day conference featuring panels on visual arts, literature and film with Bay Area and nationally-acclaimed writers, artists and filmmakers. - 2/25/14

PAAIA Releases Report on U.S. Interests Section in Iran

- The idea of establishing an American-staffed Interests Section in Iran was first considered by the George W. Bush administration and had the support of then Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice. An interests section would be responsible for protecting America's interests in Iran. It would not, however, be equivalent to the establishment of formal diplomatic relations with Iran. - 2/21/14

Iranian Medical Access Project: Advocacy Event and Charity Fundraiser

- Please join us for an evening of cocktails, snacks, good company, and, most importantly, discussion on the impact current sanctions are having on ordinary Iranians' access to medicine and medical devices. All proceeds of this important advocacy event will benefit Moms Against Poverty's medical initiatives in Iran. - 2/20/14

Sign up for NIAC's Annual Norooz Day of Service!

- Join NIAC's Fourth Annual Day of Service on Saturday March 8, as Iranian Americans nationwide honor the Iranian New Year (Norooz) tradition of beginning a good year through acts of kindness. - 2/18/14

Zanan Group's International Women's Day Celebration 2014 in Cupertino, California

- Partow Noorial, Acclaimed Poet and literary Critic. Mojdeh Shamsaei, Prominent actress of Iranian Cinema. Shahrzad Sepanlou, A refreshing voice from LA. Songs of Azerbaijan by Mahin. Dance Performance by Negar Esfandiari, and Art Exhibition by local Iranian Women artist - 2/17/14

An Iranian-American 'Pioneer' Celebrates 50 years in America

- On Feb. 7, Beatles lovers will celebrate the 50th anniversary of the band's arrival in America. While I like the Beatles, my siblings and I will be celebrating a different 50th anniversary: The arrival of our father in the United States. -David Shams, Huffington Post - 2/11/14

The Iconic Cafe Nadery: From Tehran To New York

- Cafe Nadery is a community-driven Cafe in historical Greenwich Village in downtown Manhattan. The vision of the Cafe is to create a contemporary Iranian-culture inspired cosmopolitan social space for both Iranians and non-Iranians in the New York City area. Founded in 1928 by an Iranian-Armenian, Khachik Madikiyans, Naderi Cafe in Tehran was one of the first western Cafes in the country. - 2/9/14

Meet Neda Bolourian: Candidate for Montgomery County Council, District 2

- Neda Bolourian, a lawyer in Bethesda, Maryland, is running to represent District 2 on the Montgomery County Council. A first generation American of Iranian descent, Bolourian received a bachelor's degree in philosophy from the University of Maryland Baltimore County, a master's degree in international relations from St. Mary's University of San Antonio, Texas, and a JD from the University of District of Columbia's David A. Clarke School of Law. - 2/3/14

Intelligence Ministry Reviews Cases of Iranian Expats for Return

- Iran has established a secretariat for the Committee for the Return of Expat Iranians, inside Iran's Intelligence Ministry, the Deputy Foreign Minister for Consular, Parliamentary, and Iranian Expatriate Affairs Hassan Qashqavi said in an interview with Tadbir News Website. - 1/31/14

NIAC Applauds Investigation of Bank Discrimination Against Iranian Students

- NIAC applauds the decision by Minnesota Department of Human Rights' (MDHR) to investigate charges of alleged discrimination by TCF Bank against Iranian students whose university-linked bank accounts were terminated. - 1/29/14

Iranian Artist Shirin Neshat Receives a Crystal Award at the World Economic Forum

- Every year at Davos, the Crystal Awards celebrate artists who not only excel in their art, but also help to improve the world around them. This year, the awards recognized three exceptional cultural leaders: the Academy Award-winning actor and humanitarian Matt Damon; the opera tenor Juan Diego Florez; and artist and filmmaker Shirin Neshat. - 1/25/14

Iranian-American Actress Gets Fed Up With Hollywood's Racism

- Ever get tired of seeing your favorite Middle Eastern actors relegated to roles that only deal with the War on Terror? Because they surely are. Kathreen Khavari is a public-health-professional-turned actress who was fed up with Hollywood's racism, so she decided to do something about it. -Jamilah King, Colorlines.com - 1/25/14

Iranian-American Sunny Zia running for Long Beach Community College's 3rd District

- "I am running to bring new leadership to the Long Beach Community College Board of Trustees and fight for affordable education for all," said Zia. Her platform includes putting an end to the anti-student two-tier tuition system, increasing access to vocational programs, and reinvesting in the local Long Beach economy. - 1/19/14

Former US Ambassadors Hunter and Gargano Join the Board of American Iranian Council

- Commenting on this significant development at the AIC, Professor Hooshang Amirahmadi, Founder and President of the Council, said "Ambassadors Hunter and Gargano bring a wealth of knowledge and experience in diplomacy and business that most suit US-Iran relations in this historic moment in their constructive engagement. - 1/17/14

Penn Research Helps Lay Out Theory for Metamaterial That Acts as an Analog Computer

- Now, the birthplace of the digital computer, ENIAC, is using this technology in the rebirth of analog computing. A study by researchers at the University of Pennsylvania (led by Nader Engheta), The University of Texas at Austin and University of Sannio in Italy, shows that metamaterials can be designed to do "photonic calculus" as a light wave goes through them. - 1/17/14

Tell Your Senators to STOP New Iran Sanctions Bill!

- A growing number of Senators are preparing to kill the interim deal with Iran and pass new sanctions to put us on the path to war. President Obama has issued a rare veto threat against the bill. Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid has thus far opposed bringing the bill up for a vote. If we get 40 Senators to oppose it, a vote will not happen. If 34 Senators oppose it, a veto will be sustained and the bill will not become law. - 1/10/14

German-Iranian woman set to head co-ruling Social Democratic Party

- Berlin - Yasmin Fahimi, A German-Iranian woman, is tipped to become the next secretary general of Germanyˈs co-governing Social Democratic Party (SPD), the Frankfurt-based daily Frankfurter Allgemeine Zeitung said Wednesday. - 1/9/14

2014 Nowruz Banner Contest Winner Announced

- The winning design, now unveiled for the first time, will be featured on street banners in Los Angeles and the San Fernando Valley in promotion of Farhang's upcoming Nowruz celebrations in March 2014. Afsoon Riazi, a graphic designer based in Vancouver, Canada has created this year's winning design, at the heart of which is a red apple. - 1/7/14

Iranian Foreign Ministry: Number of Political Emigrants Irrelevant: Email Address to Check Return Status

- Iran's deputy foreign minister has asserted that contrary to the prevalent propaganda, the refugee trend in recent years has been in-bound into Iran, rather than outbound. Hassan Ghashghavi at the same time acknowledged that many Iranians had left the country in the aftermath of the controversial 2009 presidential elections adding that those who emigrated were from the political sectors of society. He declared the political sector to be between 50,000 to 100,000 people, adding that they constituted an "irrelevant" size. -Niusha Saremi - 1/6/14

Omid Foundation USA holds fundraising events in DC, Los Angeles and Boston

- The Omid Foundations (Empowering disadvantaged young women in Iran ) consist of three registered charities, which were established by Marjaneh Halati, a London-based social psychologist and psychotherapist. Following is some of the recent fundraising activities by Omid Foundation USA. - 12/26/13

Cash-strapped Iranian students in U.S. hope nuclear deal will ease tuition woes

- When Mohammad Hamedi Rad arrived in the United States last year, he carried his Iranian passport, a hard-won student visa and a backpack containing $14,000 in hundred dollar bills, because there was no simpler way of getting money into the country. -Reuters - 12/11/13

DOCUMENTARY: Iranian Israelis: life in the shadow of a conflict

- Bahram Sadeghi (born & raised Iranian and living since his eighteenth in the Netherlands) and Dikla Zeidler (born in Eilat to an Israeli father and a Dutch mother, living in the Netherlands since she was eight) decided to ask some well-known Iranian Israelis, including singer Rita and radio presenter Menashe Amir, the simple question: What is it like to be an Iranian Israeli? - 12/10/13

IASF HAND Foundation Scholarship Recipient Gives Back

- "I live by the philosophy that the energy you project to the universe is the energy you receive right back, so I strive to better my community in as many ways as possible." Lilygol Sedaghat, a political economy major at the University of California, Berkeley, is a recipient of a 2013 The HAND Foundation scholarship from the Iranian-American Scholarship Fund (IASF). - 12/9/13

Objection to selection of "Pourdavoud Chair in pre-modern Persia at Princeton": Petition by Ehsan Yarshater

- Objection by the International community of Iranian Studies to the selection of a scholar of Greco-Arabic, to the Pourdavoud Chair in pre-modern Persia at Princeton University. - 12/9/13

Netherlands-based filmmaker arrested in Tehran

- Samad Khatibi, an Iranian filmmaker and artist based in the Netherlands, has been arrested in Tehran. Nedaye Sabz Azadi's website reports that Khatibi was arrested at Imam Khomeini Airport 10 days ago. - 12/6/13

Electric car owner (Kaveh Kamooneh) charged with stealing 5 cents worth of juice

- One Saturday in November, Kaveh Kamooneh drove his Nissan Leaf to Chamblee Middle School, where his 11-year-old son was playing tennis. Kamooneh had taken the liberty of charging the electric car with an exterior outlet at the school. Within minutes of plugging in the car, he says a Chamblee police officer appeared. -11 Live, Atlanta - 12/5/13

Peace: The Foundation of Prosperity - HAND announces $150,000 matching fund for NIAC

- Long-time PARSA and HAND grantee, National Iranian American Council (NIAC) has been a relentless advocate of engagement with Iran for the past decade. HAND is pleased to announce that we have created a $150,000 fund for NIAC to raise as much money as it can in the next 30 days. HAND will match your contributions, dollar for dollar, up to $150,000 between now and December 31. - 11/29/13

TAKE ACTION: Congressman Sherman wants to crash Iranian airplanes

- Rep. Brad Sherman (D-CA) is working to undermine the historic nuclear deal struck in Geneva last week because he wants more Iranian planes to crash. Sherman, who says he wants sanctions to "hurt the Iranian people," said on Wednesday he wants to block part of the deal that would enable Iran to receive new parts for its aging civilian aircraft fleet. That is unacceptable. - 11/29/13

NIAC Applauds U.S.-Iran Nuclear Agreement

- "Diplomacy has delivered the U.S. and Iran from the brink of a disastrous war and placed the two countries at the beginning of a brighter, more sustainable path forward. NIAC congratulates Presidents Obama and Rouhani, Secretary Kerry and Minister Zarif, and all of the diplomats involved in breaking the paradigm of enmity that have undermined both country's interests. - 11/24/13

6th Annual Stanford University "Bita Prize" Awarded To Acclaimed Writer Mahshid Amirshahy

- In a ceremony held at Stanford University last Friday evening, November 15, 2013, global philanthropist and humanitarian Bita Daryabari awarded the 6th Annual Bita Prize in Persian Letters to acclaimed writer, essayist, and translator Mahshid Amirshahy. - 11/21/13

Iran Nuclear Talks Weigh On Those Watching From Afar

- Iranians at home and those living abroad are closely watching international talks this week aimed at ending Iran's controversial nuclear program. Many are hopeful that the negotiations could end years of animosity between the West and Iran. - 11/21/13

Iranian American Coalition Asks Senate Not to Undermine Iran Negotiations

- A coalition of Iranian American organizations yesterday sent a letter to key U.S. Senators to express concern regarding the imposition of new sanctions against Iran at this time. The letter was signed by the International Campaign for Human Rights in Iran, National Iranian American Council, Pars Equality Center, Public Affairs Alliance of Iranian Americans, and United for Iran. - 11/20/13

Iranian American Identity and Cyrus the Great: Looking to the Past and Moving into the Future

- Washington, DC - The figure of Cyrus the Great looms large over Iran's history, but his role in defining the identity the Iranian diaspora is less explored. At the 2013 NIAC Leadership Conference, an expert panel discussed the issue the leadership model of Cyrus and its impact on Iranian identity for the past, present and future. - 11/14/13

The sole Iranian involved in the Apollo Project passes away

- Prominent Iranian mathematician Professor Abolghassem Ghaffari passed away on the night of Tuesday November 5, 2013, at the age of 106. Less than a month earlier, at the ceremony for the first Spirit of Iranian Noted Achievers (SINA) Awards recognizing the contributions of outstanding Iranians to the arts, science and culture, Professor Ghaffari was a recipient of the prestigious award. - 11/13/13

Announcing the Recipients of the 2013 Farhang Heritage and Lifetime Achievement Awards

- On Saturday, November 9, 2013 Farhang Foundation had the distinct honor of recognizing the contributions of the remarkable painter, scholar, and architect, Houshang Seyhoun, and the culinary "guru" Najmieh Batmanglij with the annual Farhang Lifetime Achievement and Heritage awards. - 11/12/13

Farhang Foundation Helps Los Angeles Students and Teachers Learn About Cyrus the Great and the Cyrus Cylinder

- Farhang Foundation is spearheading a cultural and educational initiative in Southern California, aimed at teaching our community and students about the significance of Cyrus the Great and the Cyrus Cylinder. - 11/7/13