- 6 July 2012
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- NIAC round-up
MEK Supporters Face Allegations of Unregistered Lobbying for Terrorist Organization
Under federal law, advocates for foreign organization are required to register as lobbyists and provide details about their clients and income, but supporters of the Mujaheddin-e Khalq (MEK), a well-financed designated terrorist organization, have not registered, according to a Washington Post investigation. The MEK supporters have been meeting with senior Obama administration officials to pressure the State Department into removing their organization from the State Department’s terrorist list.
Administration officials told the Post that the inquiry of whether the MEK’s paid supporters are violating the law by advocating for a designated foreign terrorist organization “remains essentially on hold” until a decision is made to keep the group on the terror list (Washington Post 7/5). Meanwhile, columnist Clarence Page was formally reprimanded by the Chicago Tribune for giving a paid speech at a MEK event, though he added his job “is safe for now.” (Talking Points Memo 7/6)
Canadian Bank Freezing Accounts of Canadians with Family in Iran
Canadian bank, TD Bank Group, has begun closing the accounts of customers which “appears to include any use of an account to send or receive money via wire transfer to or from friends and family in Iran,” according to the Ottawa Citizen. “We are simply following regulations set out by the sanctions,” said TD Bank Group spokesperson Mohammed Nakhooda (Ottawa Citizen 7/6).
Post-Meeting Insight into Moscow Negotiations
Iranian diplomats are indicating that Iran is willing to replace the heavy water reactor it is building in Arak with a light water reactor, according to Jim Walsh, a non-proliferation expert at MIT who was present a presentation by the diplomats. Such a concession would reduce proliferation concerns, since heavy water reactors can produce weapons grade plutonium (The Guardian 7/6).
The Guardian also reports that “European diplomats have said that if Iran had asked for a postponement of the oil embargo at the official talks in return for 20% suspension, the six-nation group would have found itself split and would have difficulty turning it down. As it happened, the Iranians made the country’s guaranteed right to enrich their central demand,” (The Guardian 7/6).
