Citizens for a Nuclear Free Iran (CNFI)[1] was an American 501(c)(4) organization launched by American Israel Public Affairs Committee (AIPAC) on July 17, 2015 for the purpose of educating the public about the dangers of Iran nuclear deal.[2] The organization spent around $20 million unsuccessfully campaigning against the deal through advertising and other methods.[3]
 | |
| Abbreviation | CNFI |
|---|---|
| Formation | July 17, 2015 |
| Type | 501(c) organization, lobbying group |
| Location | |
Leader | Patrick Dorton |
Key people | Mary Landrieu, Evan Bayh, Shelley Berkley, Mark Begich, Joe Lieberman |
Parent organization | AIPAC |
| Expenses | $20-30 million |
| Website | nuclearfreeiran |
The organization's advisory board included five Democratic Party politicians; Mary Landrieu, Evan Bayh, Shelley Berkley, Mark Begich and Joe Lieberman.[2] The organization was run by Patrick Dorton, a public relations employee of AIPAC.[4]
History
editCitizens for a Nuclear Free Iran was founded on July 17, 2015 by American Israel Public Affairs Committee, a pro-Israel lobbying group. The organization was created as a tax-exempt lobbying group to oppose president Barack Obama's nuclear deal with Iran. Patrick Dorton, spokesman of the organization, said that its mission is to educate the public about the dangers of the proposed Iran deal and lobby both the Democrats and Republicans against it.[5] Reportedly, CFNI has planned to spent $20 million on advertising in 30-40 states.[2] CNFI was managed by consulting firm Mellman Group, the organization paid the firm $241,439 in 2015.[6]
CNFI's advertisements were broadcast on news programs on central and cable channels.[1] The ads argued that the nuclear deal with Iran should be rejected because it will expire after 10 years, giving it enough time to obtain nuclear weapons.[7] The organization staged protests, organized visits to Washington, D.C. for AIPAC members, and bought newspaper advertisements to promote itself. Its efforts failed and did not prevent the deal from being implemented.[3]
Campaign and controversy
editThe Washington Free Beacon reported that CFNI spent $4,898,111 on advertising, mostly targeting Democratic lawmakers.[4] CFNI paid $76,000 to four TV stations in Honolulu, Hawaii to air its ads from July 13, 2015 to August 2. The stations were KHON-TV, KITV, KGMB and KHNL.[8] A 2017 report by LobeLog revealed that CFNI donated $60,000 to controversial Center for Security Policy, accused of promoting conspiracy theories and islamophobia.[9][10] CNFI reportedly raised $30 million in donations from 40 states to organizations supporting Israeli Likud party. In late July 2015, the organization, along with hundreds of pro-Israel activists, organized a sit-in in Washington D.C, urging lawmakers to reject the nuclear deal.[11]
One of the organization's ads released in July 2015 was found to be misleading by fact-checker because it took statistics out of context. The ad claimed that if the deal was ratified, 50 Iranian military sites would remain uninspected, despite the fact that the facilities mentioned in the ad are not related to nuclear development and some are not considered military facilities.[12]
Another ad, released by CNFI on July 17, 2015, showed a press conference by the National Council of Resistance of Iran, which is affiliated with the People's Mujahedin Organization of Iran (MEK), an Iranian opposition group formerly designated as terrorist by the US Department of State. CNFI has also shared a news article supporting MEK in “Press Room” section of its website before deleting it. LobeLog noted that this may indicate that CNFI has recognized potential problems associated with supporting MEK.[13]
References
edit- 1 2 Lobe, Jim (August 10, 2015). "UANI, Samore Go Their Separate Ways". LobeLog.
- 1 2 3 Lerner, Adam (July 17, 2015). "AIPAC forms new group to oppose Iran deal". Politico.
- 1 2 Dehane, Mohamed; Abderrahim, Imad; Lamia, Sadaoui (July 12, 2025). "The Double Standard: Analyzing U.S. Non-Proliferation Policy toward Iran and Israel" (PDF). University of Guelma. p. 61.
- 1 2 Kredo, Adam (July 17, 2015). "AIPAC-Linked Group Launches $5 Million Ad Campaign Against Nuke Deal". The Washington Free Beacon.
- ↑ Davis, Julie (July 17, 2015). "Pro-Israel Aipac Creates Group to Lobby Against the Iran Deal". The New York Times.
- ↑ Clifton, Eli (December 17, 2019). "The Democratic Majority for Israel is the Last Gasp of the Bipartisan Consensus on Israel". Responsible Statecraft.
- ↑ Ho, Catherine (August 4, 2015). "Supporters and rivals of Iran deal run ads, paid and unpaid". The Washington Post. ISSN 0190-8286.
- ↑ Kaneya, Rui (July 24, 2015). "Pro-Israel Lobby Fills Hawaii's TV Airtime to Push Against Iran Deal". Honolulu Civil Beat.
- ↑ Tibon, Amir (March 16, 2017). "AIPAC gave $60K to group that inspired Trump's Muslim ban". Haaretz. Archived from the original on January 10, 2026.
- ↑ "AIPAC paid $60,000 to group that peddles anti-Muslim conspiracy theories". The Times of Israel. March 16, 2017. ISSN 0040-7909. Retrieved 2026-05-19.
- ↑ Olsson, Christian; Scognamiglio, Giuseppe; Muscau, Michela; Alegi, Gregory (January 10, 2019). "THE ISRAELI STRATEGY VIS-À-VIS THE US FOREIGN POLICY IN THE IRAN NUCLEAR DEAL" (PDF). LUISS. p. 103.
- ↑ Biscobing, Dave (July 24, 2015). "Expert says Iran nuclear deal TV advertisement is 'misleading'". KNXV-TV. Archived from the original on July 28, 2015.
- ↑ Clifton, Eli (July 21, 2015). "Anti-Iran Deal AIPAC Spin-off Relies on Iranian Ex-Terrorist Group". LobeLog.