On March 27, the Middle East Eye newspaper published a report by Oscar Ricketts on the “Iran Freedom Congress.” The report alleged that the Iran Freedom Congress, without the knowledge of some of its members, is being promoted by a company that works with AIPAC (“American Israel Public Affairs Committee”).
The report was released ahead of the coalition’s recent meeting in London last weekend.
A leaked email seen by Middle East Eye shows a coalition of opponents of the Iranian government being promoted by pro-Israel public relations activists working with the lobby group American Israel Public Affairs Committee, known as AIPAC.
The “Iran Freedom Congress,” formerly known as “Dialogue for Iran,” is set to bring together “Iranian civil and political activists from a wide range of backgrounds and perspectives” at a meeting in London this weekend.
The congress says on its website: “This is an independent initiative created by Iranians, and no foreign government or organization played a role in the formation of the idea or process.”
Majid Zamani, executive director of the Iran Freedom Congress, told Middle East Eye: “Any claim that a foreign government or organization has a role in shaping the Iran Freedom Congress is false.”
But this congress is being promoted – apparently without the knowledge of some people involved in the coalition – by Red Foundation, a crisis management PR firm that has a long history of working with AIPAC, and whose CEO has worked for the pro-Israel lobby for more than seven years.
The email, which was sent to promote the Iran Freedom Congress, was sent by Neil Strauss, an account manager at Red Foundation, whom the company describes as being in charge of its “Jewish and pro-Israel” department.
Strauss, who is based in the US, was previously the communications director for the Republican Jewish Coalition and, according to his LinkedIn page, has launched “digital marketing initiatives for pro-Israel candidate campaigns.”
When he was appointed to the position in 2024, Evan Nierman, CEO of the Red Foundation, praised his “extensive career background in crisis communications and political persuasion.”
An email sent to promote the Iran Freedom Congress suggested interviews with Mehrdad Marti Yousefiani—formerly a strategic advisor to the son of the former Shah of Iran, Reza Pahlavi—as well as Shahriar Ahi, whom Strauss describes as “an advocate for a democratic transition in Iran.”
At the end of his email, Strauss introduces himself as the media liaison for the Coordination Council of the Iranian Freedom Congress. Yousefiani has recently been interviewed by the Jerusalem Post and the National Newspaper of the United Arab Emirates as a representative of the congress.
Majid Zamani, executive director of the Iran Freedom Congress, told Middle East Eye: “We had never heard of Neil Strauss or Red Bonyan before” and that they “are in no way representatives of the Iran Freedom Congress.”
“We cannot control or be held responsible for the statements, communications, or promotional activities of third parties that are not affiliated with us,” Zamani said. Both Yousefiani and Ahi are listed on the Iran Freedom Congress website as members of the Congress’s Coordination Council.
Middle East Eye contacted Strauss but did not receive a response.
Israel and the Iranian opposition abroad
“The real story of the Iranian opposition abroad is the role that the Israel lobby plays in shaping it,” Jamal Abdi, president of the National Iranian American Council, told Middle East Eye.
“The psychological trauma and desire for change in Iran has been exploited in a way that has turned Iranians abroad against themselves. I think this war is proof of that reality,” he said.
Evan Nierman, CEO of Red Foundation, has worked for AIPAC for seven years. He says his team’s expertise includes “high-stakes public relations,” “responding to the culture of deletion,” and “complex credibility challenges that require creative thinking.”
“For years, I have relied on Red Foundation as an external but essential part of our communications team,” AIPAC communications director Jeremy Ryder said in a letter of recommendation for the crisis PR firm. “They interact with high-ranking government officials with great dignity and competence.”
According to the Red Foundation website, Neerman was responsible for “all aspects of AIPAC’s 15 branded print and electronic publications, including editing the organization’s flagship magazine on Middle East policy.”
During his time at AIPAC, Nierman “wrote extensively for speeches and campaign materials, prepared over 100 foreign policy memos for lawmakers, and helped organize major national events in Washington, D.C.”
Nirman’s connection with AIPAC has continued at Red Foundation, and the company has collaborated extensively with the pro-Israel lobby group.
“For years, I have relied on the foundation as an external but essential part of our communications team,” AIPAC communications director Jeremy Ryder wrote in a testimonial for the company. “They interact with high-ranking government officials with great dignity and competence.”
On its website, the Red Foundation celebrates Israel and its extensive work with pro-Israel groups. One of the company’s blog posts praises “the amazing Israeli technologies showcased at the AIPAC policy conference.”
Another note reads: “The policy conference was a huge success for the Red Foundation’s client, AIPAC.”
The memo described the conference as “a powerful celebration of the U.S.-Israel relationship,” and said that “participants left the meeting with a deeper understanding of the many ways in which the United States and Israel are truly shaping tomorrow together.”
The Red Foundation also renamed an Israeli non-profit organization to Cyberwell, which it said “has deep ties to the intelligence arm of an Israeli government propaganda effort” and has been “influential in shaping social media content” since the October 7, 2023, Hamas-led attack.
“Royalists, liberals, and representatives of ethnic minorities”
In an email sent by Neil Strauss of Red Foundation, the Iran Freedom Congress was referred to as “a broad collection of Iranian opposition movements, including monarchists, liberals, and representatives of ethnic minorities.”
The email described the initiative as a “historic and unprecedented development” that “brings together such ideologically diverse factions into a single, organized front for the first time since 1979.”
Both figures that Strauss suggested for interview in his email are linked to the monarchist wing of the Iranian opposition.
Yousefiani has been described as having “served for nearly two decades as a senior strategic advisor to Reza Pahlavi, the exiled crown prince and leading figure in Iran’s opposition.”
Shahriar Ahi, another figure in the Iran Freedom Congress, had also previously been identified in the media as an advisor to Pahlavi. But on February 26, Reza Pahlavi’s office issued a statement saying that this was not true and that the media should “be more careful in referring to individuals as advisors or members of Prince Reza Pahlavi’s team.”
“Ensuring justice and real accountability for Iranians who have endured decades of repression will undoubtedly require deep coordination across Iranian civil society, as well as broad international support,” said Christian Benedict, Crisis Response Officer at Amnesty International UK.
“But real justice and human rights in Iran are not going to be achieved by individuals and organizations that are aligned with the current Israeli government,” he told Middle East Eye, adding that Israel “is committing genocide, apartheid and other international crimes every day.”
Benedict said: “The situation in Iran must be referred to the International Criminal Court and all possible crimes committed by all parties to this armed conflict must be brought to justice under international law.”
He added, “There is no chance that those who cooperate with and are inclined towards this Israeli government will support such actions. It is the ordinary people of Iran who will pay the price.” https://www.iran-tribune.com/n/ir/223