Twenty-two members of Congress have signed on to a bipartisan letter expressing concern that “anti-Israel organisations” in the US had received funding from Iran.
The letter, addressed to the Treasury Department, the Department of Justice and the Office of the Director of National Intelligence, said that such funding would break US law and urged the agencies to investigate.
“Director [of National Intelligence Avril] Haines's statement earlier this month confirming that the Iranian regime … provided financial support to pro-Palestinian protests in the United States suggests that these groups may be in violation of US law,” the letter said.
In a July statement, Ms Haines had said that the Iranian government had sought to “opportunistically take advantage of continuing protests regarding the war in Gaza, using a playbook we’ve seen others use over the years”.
“We have observed actors tied to Iran’s government posing as activists online, seeking to encourage protests and even providing financial support to protesters.
“I want to be clear that I know Americans who participate in protests are, in good faith, expressing their views on the conflict in Gaza – this intelligence does not indicate otherwise.”
Americans being exploited by Iran may not realise they are interacting with or receiving support from a foreign government, she said.
Pro-Palestine demonstrations erupted across the US earlier this year, with students taking over large parts of their university campuses to protest against the Israel-Gaza war.
The protests were mostly peaceful – although hundreds of students were detained by police, sometimes violently – and their demands focused on bringing about a ceasefire and getting their universities to divest from finances or companies with Israeli relations.
Critics, however, accused protesters of being anti-Semitic and engaging in hate speech.
Although Iran and groups including Al Qaeda voiced support for the protests, demonstrators said such messages were attempts to co-opt the movement.
Iran has been accused in the past in attempting to influence politics in the US, including engaging in election interference.
“The American people should not be kept in the dark, and it is critical that neither ODNI nor Treasury withhold information that would reveal the depth of this Iranian influence operation,” the letter said.
