He noted that the NIAC are often “sensitive” about allegations that they work for the Regime, rather than for Iranian-Americans in the USA.

They claim on their website that they aim to promote understanding between the Gulf nation and the US and encourage working with the moderates inside the Regime. However, time has proven that there are no moderates within the Regime.

Under the so-called moderate President Rouhani, there have been over 3,000 executions including juveniles, and they are recognised as the leading state sponsor of terror by the US State Department.

Rubin, who primarily dealt with issues regarding the middle east whilst at the Pentagon, noted that the air of suspicion which hangs over the NIAC is not due to an isolated incident but rather, the ongoing actions of the NIAC.

He wrote: “The reason for suspicion with regard to the idea that NIAC is a lobby runs deep, ranging from its formational documents to panels its members have sponsored about how to lobby to the fact that it seems always to stake out positions consistent more with that of Tehran than with that of the Iranian-American community.”

He also notes that the NIAC have extraordinarily close links to the Regime for a group helping American-Iranians.

He wrote: “The reason for suspicion with regard to the idea that NIAC’s relations might be even more closely centre upon founder Trita Parsi’s emails with former Iranian UN ambassador (and current Foreign Minister) Mohammad Javad Zarif. They show the NIAC founder seeking to arrange meetings and perhaps coordinate on strategy.”

That seems to be damning evidence but it goes even further because the Regime isn’t even trying to cover its tracks. Their intelligence minister, Mahmoud Alavi, went on Iranian national television to suggest that there are Iranians in the West who have a lobby for the regime.

Although he does not specifically mention the NIAC, focusing instead on groups which are advocating for sanctions relief or defending Iran’s ballistic missile and nuclear programmes, it still raises a lot of questions.

Rubin wrote: “If Iran’s intelligence minister believes that Tehran can leverage a specific lobby in the West on behalf, not of Iranians, but rather of the Islamic Republic, perhaps it is time for American counterintelligence authorities to take a far harder look at whatever lobby to which Alavi might be referring.”