The Iranian Art Market Amidst Sanctions: How Financial Pressures Impact Iran’s Domestic Art Industry
Iranian contributions to art, film and architecture are world renowned and stem from an ancient history. In the midst of severe economic sanctions, Iran’s domestic art market continues to survive. However, broad economic sanctions have various impacts on all industries and sectors, and Iran’s domestic art market is no exception. The recent devaluation of the […]
Cyber Privacy in SMS-Alternative Messaging Applications: WhatsApp Case Raises Novel Legal Questions
Messaging applications like Telegram and WhatsApp emerged as alternatives to SMS-based messaging, and significantly enhanced our ability to communicate with friends and family in other countries, irregardless of telecom networks and carriers. There are a range of concerns that may go into a user’s decision as to which messaging application to use to connect to […]
OFAC’s October 2019 Guidance for Foreign Governments and Foreign Financial Institutions Engaging in Humanitarian Trade with Iran
The Office of Foreign Assets Control (OFAC) is the financial intelligence and enforcement agency of the U.S. Treasury Department; more specifically, OFAC administers and enforces U.S. economic and trade sanctions. In the past, companies engaging in JCPOA-related, sanctions-exempt, or specifically licensed trade activities with Iran often sought, to little avail, detailed guidance from OFAC on […]
Persian Artifacts Loaned to the U.S. in the 1930s Returned to Iran after Legal Dispute
The National Museum of Iran received – and now displays – ancient clay tablets, which recently arrived from the United States. The ancient Persian artifacts are part of the “Persepolis Collection,” previously borrowed by the United States. Iran’s Minister of Cultural Heritage, Handicrafts and Tourism Ali Asghar Mounesan reported that hundreds of ancient tablets, dating […]
Recognizing the 2019 Recipients of the Iranian American Bar Association Foundation Scholarship
A central tenet of the Iranian-American Chamber of Commerce is to engage with and recognize other Iranian-American organizations that serve and support the Iranian-American community. To that end, this month the Chamber is pleased to recognize this year’s recipients of the Iranian American Bar Association Foundation Scholarship. By way of background, the Iranian American Bar […]
Human Rights Watch Issues New Report on the Devastating Impact of Sanctions on Healthcare in Iran
On October 29, Human Rights Watch (HRW) issued a new, 47-page report titled “‘Maximum Pressure’: US Economic Sanctions Harm Iranians’ Right to Health.” The report finds that the Trump Administration’s exceedingly broad sanctions on Iran have dramatically impaired the country’s ability to finance humanitarian imports, such as medicines. The report explains that this impediment is […]
Policy Controversy: Proposal Seeks to Rein In Big Tech Amid Murmurs of a Big Tech Break-Up
This article examines one of the most bold, controversial, and progressive policy proposals currently cycling through the political corridors of Washington: the proposal to “break up” big technology companies, chief among them Facebook, Google, and Amazon. This proposal has stoked controversy in legal and economic policy circles since its introduction in March. In leaked audio […]
Bias, Discrimination and Delays: The Painful Consequences of Delayed and Revoked Visas for Iranian Students Approved to Study in the United States
This month, the Iranian-American Chamber of Commerce is compelled to draw attention to the emerging crisis affecting students of Iranian heritage who seek to study in the United States. Earlier this month, reports began to emerge of Iranian students whose visas to study in the United States were suddenly and inexplicably revoked. The saga began […]
The #FemDiplomacy Campaign: Building Bridges Across the Iranian-Arab Divide
Leila Mansouri is an immigration attorney with a U.S. law practice and global migration consulting practice. Leila is active in the Iranian-American community, and serves on the Boards of the Iranian American Bar Association and Persian Women in Tech. Recently, Leila spoke with the Iranian-American Chamber of Commerce regarding her latest project, a bridge-building initiative […]
Forecasting a Medical Humanitarian Disaster: When Sanctions Exemptions Exist Only on Paper
In creating its sanctions against Iran, the United States was required to ensure that humanitarian access to food and medicine was in no way impeded. Despite this, in October of 2018 the International Court of Justice ruled that the exemptions the U.S. had in place to protect this access were inadequate, while U.S. officials maintained […]