Gareth Porter, the so-called progressive and anti-war journalist and author is in Iran, appearing on state TV and speaking at regime’s events to defend the Iranian dictators and their nuclear program. Porter began his pro-Tehran advocacy in 2006 with Trita Parsi of NIAC. His nauseating declarations in Tehran illustrate alliance between part of American left and Iranian regime

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Gareth Porter is a self-described “progressive” journalist and author who writes in the left and anti-war journals. He best represents part of the American left that since 2005 has been the Iranian regime’s unconditional ally to manipulate public opinion and decision makers in the US. (See the report Relation and cooperation between Iranian regime and American anti-war groups)

Porter, a regular columnist at pro-Tehran journals Lobe.log and anti-war, is currently in Tehran to participate in the events that commemorate the 25th anniversary of the death of Ayatollah Khomeini, the founder of the Islamic Republic. During his speeches and interviews, Porter has been defending the Iranian regime and introducing his new book “Manufactured Crisis: The Untold Story of the Iran Nuclear Scare”.

In his book, Porter claims that “the origins of the Iran nuclear “crisis” lay not in an Iranian urge to obtain nuclear weapons but, rather, in a sustained effort by the United States and its allies to deny Iran its right, as guaranteed in the Nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty, to have any nuclear program at all.” According to Porter, “the book highlights the impact that the United States’ alliance with Israel had on Washington’s pursuit of its Iran policy and sheds new light on the US strategy of turning the International Atomic Energy Agency into a tool of its anti-Iran policy.”

During his trip to Iran, Porter has spoken at several events and appeared on State TV and defended Iran’s nuclear program that according to him is entirely peaceful. Porter denounced US and Israeli campaign of demonization against Iran. He asked the Iranian authorities to publicize his book and spread his message to American audience in order to influence public opinion and affect White House position in nuclear talks. Porter’s nauseating declarations is another example of alliance between the segment of American left with a brutal and terrorist regime that represses the Iranians, massacres the Syrians and spreads terror and fundamentalism around the world.

Gareth Porter, Tehran, Foreign ministry conference, Imam Khomeini and foreign policy, June 9, 2014

According to Mehr news agency, “Porter and three other foreign intellectuals who are in Iran to participate in the events to commemorate the 25th anniversary of the death of Ayatollah Ruhollah Khomeini, travelled to the city of Ghom and met with religious leaders. Porter denounced American misinformation campaign against the Islamic republic.”

According to ISNA, Porter spoke at “International conference on Imam Khomeini and his foreign policy”, organized by Iranian foreign ministry and declared: “Imam Khomeini’s religious Fatwa against use of chemical weapon and the Supreme Leader’s fatwa against nuclear weapon are very important and represent a turning point. The SL’s fatwa is a legal document that affects Iran’s nuclear program but it has been ignored by Western governments and media. The US is carrying out a misinformation campaign in order to attain its filthy goals against Iran.”

Porter’s pro-Tehran activities in the US

Porter is the author of several books who writes in influential US newspapers. He is a regular columnist at pro-Tehran journals Lobe.log and anti-war. In his articles and interviews, Porter defends Iran’s nuclear program and denounces the US demonization campaign against Iran.

Porter has argued that Iran was not involved in the bombing of Jewish cultural center in Argentina in 1994, Iran was not linked to the terror plot at JFK, not involved in a plot to assassinate the Saudi ambassador to the United, not related to Bulgaria bombing or, having any role in terror attacks in Dehli against Israeli diplomats.

Gareth Porter and NIAC

Porter started his pro-Tehran activities in 2006 with Trita Parsi, president of the National Iranian American Council (NIAC), a Washington-based lobby organization that the government press in Tehran calls the “Iran lobby in US.”

In March 2006 Parsi met the Iranian ambassador to UN Javad Zarif in New York who gave him a copy of the so-called Iranian 2003 offer to US for “grand bargain”. Parsi gave the copy of the offer to the press and together with Porter, launched a large scale pro-Tehran campaign to present the Iranian regime as the party that is ready for dialogue and peace and frame the US as the party that seeks war and confrontation.

• See court and public documents related to Parsi and Porter collaboration
• See Parsi and Porter speaking at Congressional Progressive Caucus (Video1 and video 2)

In May of that same year, Parsi and Porter launched the “Iran Negotiation Project,” for which they asked nearly $100,000 of funding. This project was designed to connect the anti-Bush Congress members with Iranian ambassador and exploit divisions in US Congress. (Read the report “Trita Parsi and NIAC’s relation with Iranian ambassador Zarif”)

Before leaving for his Iran trip, Porter and NIAC’s policy director Jamal Abdi participated in a media event to present his new book that defends the Iranian nuclear program.

NIAC

In 2008 NIAC and its president Trita Parsi brought a defamation lawsuit against one of its critics to break him under financial burdens of the lawsuit and as a result, silence all other critics. The lawsuit obliged NIAC to release part of its internal documents that revealed the organization’s toes to Tehran and some of its illicit activities.

On September 13, 2012 U.S. District Judge John Bates dismissed the lawsuit and in a second ruling, sanctioned NIAC and Trita Parsi for discovery abuses including false declaration to the court and ordered them to pay $184000 for defendant’s legal expenses. (Read More: NIAC lost defamation lawsuit and was punished for legal abuses)

Some of these documents show that NIAC defrauded IRS, lied to the court, defrauded NED Congressional funds, coordinated its lobby with Iranian ambassador to the UN and collaborated with two individuals named by US Congressional report as the agents of the Iranian intelligence ministry.

Court documents also show that in 2002-2003, while president of NIAC, Parsi profited from his presence inside Congress and his close relationship with Congressman Bob Ney to prepare reports about the latest developments regarding Iran and sent these reports to Atieh Company in Tehran. Atieh paid Trita Parsi for his work. Parsi continued to send reports about his lobby activities to Atieh director in Tehran. (Read more: “NIAC’s partners in Iran: Iran’s economic mafia and regime associates”)