Pro-Israel PR firm promoting Iranian opposition group

Pro-Israel PR firm promoting Iranian opposition group Oscar Rickett on Fri, 03/27/2026 - 15:59 The Iran Freedom Congress is being promoted - behind the back of some of its members - by a firm that works with Aipac People hold signs in support of Reza Pahlavi, son of the last shah of Iran, at a rally in Los Angeles, 5 March 2026 (AFP) Off A leaked email seen by Middle East Eye has revealed that an Iranian opposition coalition is being promoted by pro-Israel publicists who work with the American Israel Public Affairs Committee (Aipac) lobby group. The Iran Freedom Congress (IFC), previously known as Dialogue for Iran, is “bringing together Iranian civil and political actors from a broad spectrum of backgrounds and perspectives” at a convention in London this weekend. On its website, the IFC says it is “an independent initiative created by Iranians, and no foreign government or organisation has played a role in shaping the idea or the process”. “Any suggestion that a foreign government or organisation is playing a role in shaping the IFC is incorrect,” Majid Zamani, the IFC’s executive director, told MEE. But the IFC is being publicised - apparently without the knowledge of some of those involved in the coalition - by Red Banyan, a crisis PR company that has a long history of working with Aipac and whose chief executive worked at the pro-Israel lobby group for more than seven years. (adsbygoogle = window.adsbygoogle || []).push({}); The email promoting the IFC was sent by Neil Strauss, an account director at Red Banyan who is described by the firm as leading its “Jewish and pro-Israel vertical”. Strauss, who is based in the US, previously worked as the communications director for the Republican Jewish Coalition, where, according to his LinkedIn page, he “launched digital marketing plans for pro-Israel candidate election campaigns”. When he was appointed to his role in 2024, Red Banyan’s chief executive, Evan Nierman, hailed Strauss’s “extensive career background in crisis communications and political persuasion”. The email promoting the IFC offers interviews with Mehrdad Marty Youssefiani, formerly the strategic counsellor to the son of Iran's former shah Reza Pahlavi, and Shahryar Ahy, whom Strauss calls “an advocate for democratic transition in Iran”. 'The real story of the Iranian diaspora opposition is the role the Israel lobby is having in shaping it' - Jamal Abdi, National Iranian American Council Strauss signs off as the media contact for the IFC’s coordinating council. Youssefiani has recently been interviewed as an IFC representative by the Jerusalem Post and the UAE’s National newspaper. Zamani, the IFC’s executive director, told MEE that “we have not previously heard of Neil Strauss or Red Banyan”, and that they did not “represent the IFC in any capacity”. “We cannot control or be held responsible for statements, communications, or promotional efforts made by third parties who are not affiliated with us,” Zamani said. Both Youssefiani and Ahy are listed on the IFC’s website as being part of its Congress Coordination Council. MEE contacted Strauss but received no reply. On 28 February, the US and Israel attacked Iran, starting a war that continues to rage on. Israel and Iran's diaspora opposition “The real story of the Iranian diaspora opposition is the role the Israel lobby is having in shaping it,” Jamal Abdi, president of the National Iranian American Council, told MEE. “The trauma and desire for change in Iran has been preyed on in a way that has turned the Iranian diaspora against itself. I think this war is proof of that,” he said. (adsbygoogle = window.adsbygoogle || []).push({}); Nierman, Red Banyan’s chief executive, worked for Aipac for seven years. He has said his team’s specialities include “high-stakes PR”, “cancel-culture response” and “complex reputational challenges that require creative thinking”. 'For years I have relied upon Red Banyan as an external, yet essential, part of our communications team' - Jeremy Rider, Aipac According to Red Banyan’s website, Nierman was responsible at Aipac for “all aspects of 15 print and electronic branded publications, including editing the organisation’s flagship journal on Middle East policy”. While at Aipac, Nierman “did extensive writing of speeches and marketing materials, drafted more than 100 memos on foreign policy developed for legislators and helped organise large-scale national events in Washington, DC”. Nierman’s involvement with Aipac has continued at Red Banyan, which has worked extensively with the pro-Israel lobby group. Iran's Jews feeling fear and heartbreak as US-Israeli strikes rain down Read More » “For years I have relied upon Red Banyan as an external, yet essential, part of our communications team. They interact with government officials of the highest order with great poise and competence,” Jeremy Rider, Aipac's communications director, said in a testimonial for the crisis PR firm. Red Banyan celebrates Israel and its extensive work for pro-Israel groups on its website. One blogpost hails the “Amazing Israeli technologies on display at AIPAC policy conference”. Another is headlined “Policy Conference an Enormous Success for Red Banyan Group Client AIPAC”. It describes the conference as a “powerful tribute to the US-Israeli relationship” and notes that “attendees came away with a deeper understanding of the many ways the United States and Israel are truly shaping tomorrow together”. Red Banyan also rebranded an Israeli non-profit, giving it the name CyberWell. CyberWell is reported as having “deep ties to the intelligence arm of an Israeli government propaganda effort” and “has been influential in shaping social media content” since the Hamas-led attack of 7 October 2023. 'Monarchists, liberals, and ethnic minority representatives' In the email sent out by Red Banyan's Strauss, the Iran Freedom Congress is referred to as “a broad cross-section of the Iranian opposition, including monarchists, liberals, and ethnic minority representatives”. The initiative is described as “a historic and unprecedented development” that marks “the first time since 1979 that such ideologically diverse factions have come together in a single organized front”. Both figures offered up for interview by Strauss in his email are connected to the monarchist branch of Iran’s opposition. Youssefiani is described as having served “for nearly two decades as chief strategic counsellor to Reza Pahlavi, the exiled crown prince and a prominent figure in the Iranian opposition”. Iran and the US: When friends fall out Read More » Ahy, the other IFC figure, had previously also appeared in the media billed as an adviser to Pahlavi. But on 26 February, Pahlavi’s office issued a statement saying this was not the case and that media outlets should “exercise greater care when referring to individuals as advisers or members of Prince Reza Pahlavi’s team”. “Securing genuine justice and accountability for Iranians who have faced decades of repression certainly needs deep coordination across Iranian civil society and significant international support,” said Kristyan Benedict, Amnesty International UK's crisis response manager. “However, genuine justice and human rights in Iran are not going to come from individuals and organisations aligned with the current Israeli government,” he told MEE, adding that Israel was “committing genocide, apartheid and other international crimes daily”. “The situation in Iran should be referred to the ICC and cover all alleged crimes under international law committed by all parties to this armed conflict,” Benedict said. “There is no chance those working with and sympathetic to this Israeli government will support such moves. It is ordinary Iranians who will suffer because of this.“ War on Iran News Post Date Override 0 Update Date Mon, 05/04/2020 - 21:19 Update Date Override 0