Newly leaked documents expose Washington’s ongoing, covert push for regime change in Iran. With millions funneled into secretive initiatives, the US aims to infiltrate civil society, manipulate political participation, and engineer unrest, all while keeping its Iranian beneficiaries in the shadows.
By Kit Klarenberg, The Cradle
A bombshell leak reviewed by The Cradle exposes the depths of Washington’s long-running campaign to destabilize the Islamic Republic.
For years, the US State Department’s Near East Regional Democracy fund (NERD) has funneled hundreds of millions of dollars into covert operations aimed at toppling Tehran’s government – without success. Details on where this money goes and who benefits are typically concealed. However, this leak provides a rare glimpse into NERD’s latest regime-change blueprint.
Covert funding for Iran’s opposition
The document in question is a classified US State Department invitation for bids from private contractors and intelligence-linked entities such as the National Endowment for Democracy (NED) and USAID.
Circulated discreetly in August 2023, it solicited proposals to “support Iranian civil society, civic advocates, and all Iranian people in exercising their civil and political rights during and beyond” the next year’s electoral period, “in order to increase viable avenues for democratic participation.”
NERD summoned applicants to “propose activities” that would “strengthen civil society’s efforts to organize around issues of importance to the Iranian people during the election period and hold elected and unelected leaders accountable to citizen demands.”
The State Department also wished to educate citizens on purported “flaws of Iranian electoral processes.” Submissions were to “pay special attention to developing strategies and activities that increase women’s participation in civil society, advocacy, rule of law, and good governance efforts.”
The document is filled with lofty, euphemistic language. NERD claims to champion “participatory governance, economic reform, and educational advancement,” aiming to cultivate “a more responsive and responsible Iranian government that is internally stable and externally a peaceful and productive member of the community of nations.” In other words, another compliant western client state that serves imperial interests in West Asia rather than challenging them.
Recent Posts
The Blue Road to Trump Hell, A Zero Hour Conversation With Norman Solomon
Take Action Now The road to Trump was paved with Democratic Party elites.By RJ Eskow and Norman Solomon, The Zero Hour In this conversation Norman…
Democrats In Congress Are Out Of Touch With Constituents On Israeli Genocide
Take Action Now A national Quinnipiac Poll found that 77 percent of Democrats “think Israel is committing genocide.”By Norman Solomon Last month,…
William Hartung On The Trillion Dollar War Machine
Take Action Now As both parties are legislating criticism of socialism, Americans’ support for Medicare For All has intensified to the point where…
Huge Costs to Workers And The Environment: Tech Bubbles And New Investments In The U.S.
Take Action Now In our new book Capitalist Value Chains, Christin Bernhold and I argue that global supply chains have made labour exploitation and…