AIPAC Forms New Anti-Iran Deal Lobbying Group

$20 Million Campaign to Span 30-40 States

Israel Lobby group AIPAC has announced the creation of a new group to lobby against the Iran nuclear deal. Dubbed “Citizens for a Nuclear Free Iran,” which intends to launch a $20 million media campaign to convince the American public that the deal is “dangerous.”

AIPAC officials say that the group is “dedicated to preventing Iran from obtaining nuclear weapons capability,” and the campaign will be using targeted advertisement in somewhere from 30 to 40 states.

Though they insist the lobbying will target both parties, it seems to be aimed primarily at Democrat districts, with AIPAC spokesman Patrick Dorton saying “Democrats should be especially concerned” about the deal because it “increases the chances of war.”

The Citizens for a Nuclear Free Iran advisory committee is stacked with hawkish former Democrat officials, including former Sens. Evan Bayh and Joe Lieberman, reflecting that the group’s primary goal is to try to get enough Democrats opposed to the deal to get a veto-proof majority in both houses of Congress. This is believed to be extremely unlikely, but the lobby will continue to throw money at the effort.

Author: Jason Ditz

Jason Ditz is Senior Editor for Antiwar.com. He has 20 years of experience in foreign policy research and his work has appeared in The American Conservative, Responsible Statecraft, Forbes, Toronto Star, Minneapolis Star-Tribune, Providence Journal, Washington Times, and the Detroit Free Press.