Alireza Jafarzadeh
Encyclopedia
Alireza Jafarzadeh is a media commentator on the Middle East
Middle East
The Middle East is a region that encompasses Western Asia and Northern Africa. It is often used as a synonym for Near East, in opposition to Far East...

 and an active dissident figure to the Iran
Iran
Iran , officially the Islamic Republic of Iran , is a country in Southern and Western Asia. The name "Iran" has been in use natively since the Sassanian era and came into use internationally in 1935, before which the country was known to the Western world as Persia...

ian government. He is best known for revealing the existence of clandestine nuclear facilities in Iran in 2002. Until 2003, Jafarzadeh acted as the chief congressional liaison and public spokesperson for the United States
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...

 representative office of the National Council of Resistance of Iran
National Council of Resistance of Iran
The National Council of Resistance of Iran , founded in 1981 in France, is the parliament in exile of the "Iranian Resistance", and is a political umbrella coalition of five Iranian opposition political organizations, the largest organization being the People's Mujahedin of Iran.The President-elect...

 (NCRI). He is currently the president of Strategic Policy Consulting, Inc., as well as a FOX News
Fox News Channel
Fox News Channel , often called Fox News, is a cable and satellite television news channel owned by the Fox Entertainment Group, a subsidiary of News Corporation...

 Foreign Affairs Analyst.

Jafarzadeh is also the author of a 304-paged book (The Iran Threat: President Ahmadinejad and the Coming Nuclear Crisis) about Mahmoud Ahmadinejad, the current President of Iran
President of Iran
The President of Iran is the highest popularly elected official in, and the head of government of the Islamic Republic of Iran; although subordinate to the Supreme Leader of Iran, who functions as the country's head of state...

, and his alleged interest in developing nuclear weapons
Iran and weapons of mass destruction
Iran is not known to currently possess weapons of mass destruction and has signed treaties repudiating the possession of weapons of mass destruction including the Biological Weapons Convention, the Chemical Weapons Convention, and the Nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty...

.

Early life

Jafarzadeh was born in Mashhad
Mashhad
Mashhad , is the second largest city in Iran and one of the holiest cities in the Shia Muslim world. It is also the only major Iranian city with an Arabic name. It is located east of Tehran, at the center of the Razavi Khorasan Province close to the borders of Afghanistan and Turkmenistan. Its...

, Iran
Iran
Iran , officially the Islamic Republic of Iran , is a country in Southern and Western Asia. The name "Iran" has been in use natively since the Sassanian era and came into use internationally in 1935, before which the country was known to the Western world as Persia...

. He moved to the United States
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...

 before the 1979 Iranian Revolution
Iranian Revolution
The Iranian Revolution refers to events involving the overthrow of Iran's monarchy under Shah Mohammad Reza Pahlavi and its replacement with an Islamic republic under Ayatollah Ruhollah Khomeini, the leader of the...

. In the USA he studied civil engineering
Civil engineering
Civil engineering is a professional engineering discipline that deals with the design, construction, and maintenance of the physical and naturally built environment, including works like roads, bridges, canals, dams, and buildings...

, obtaining his bachelor's degree
Bachelor's degree
A bachelor's degree is usually an academic degree awarded for an undergraduate course or major that generally lasts for three or four years, but can range anywhere from two to six years depending on the region of the world...

 from the University of Michigan
University of Michigan
The University of Michigan is a public research university located in Ann Arbor, Michigan in the United States. It is the state's oldest university and the flagship campus of the University of Michigan...

 in Ann Arbor
Ann Arbor, Michigan
Ann Arbor is a city in the U.S. state of Michigan and the county seat of Washtenaw County. The 2010 census places the population at 113,934, making it the sixth largest city in Michigan. The Ann Arbor Metropolitan Statistical Area had a population of 344,791 as of 2010...

, and a master's degree
Master's degree
A master's is an academic degree granted to individuals who have undergone study demonstrating a mastery or high-order overview of a specific field of study or area of professional practice...

 from the University of Texas
University of Texas at Austin
The University of Texas at Austin is a state research university located in Austin, Texas, USA, and is the flagship institution of the The University of Texas System. Founded in 1883, its campus is located approximately from the Texas State Capitol in Austin...

 at Austin
Austin, Texas
Austin is the capital city of the U.S. state of :Texas and the seat of Travis County. Located in Central Texas on the eastern edge of the American Southwest, it is the fourth-largest city in Texas and the 14th most populous city in the United States. It was the third-fastest-growing large city in...

.

Work

Alireza Jafarzadeh has published columns and appeared on television interviews both on conservative as well as the liberal media. He seems to have bi-partisan respect for his work. Jafarzadeh has a regular column on the Huffington Post. He has also widely published on the FoxNews.com.
On August 14, 2002, Jafarzadeh drew worldwide attention by revealing that Iran was running a secret nuclear facility in Natanz
Natanz
Natanz is a city in and the capital of Natanz County, Isfahan Province, Iran. At the 2006 census, its population was 12,060, in 3,411 families. It is located south-east of Kashan....

, and a dideuterium oxide
Heavy water
Heavy water is water highly enriched in the hydrogen isotope deuterium; e.g., heavy water used in CANDU reactors is 99.75% enriched by hydrogen atom-fraction...

 facility in Arak
Arak, Iran
-Industries:thumb|right|250px|wagon parsArak is one of the main industrial cities of Iran, possessing many plants for heavy industries especially for the metal and machinery industries, including:...

. These revelations led to inspections of the sites by the International Atomic Energy Agency
International Atomic Energy Agency
The International Atomic Energy Agency is an international organization that seeks to promote the peaceful use of nuclear energy, and to inhibit its use for any military purpose, including nuclear weapons. The IAEA was established as an autonomous organization on 29 July 1957...

 (IAEA). After their first inspection, IAEA, said in a report on Iran's nuclear activity that traces of uranium, greater than what is needed for a civilian power program, were found on Iranian nuclear equipment, although the IAEA claimed that the source of the uranium was likely from equipment imported to Iran from Pakistan. These revelations eventually led to United Nations Security Council's imposing sanctions on Iran on December 23, 2006, over its nuclear program.

On May 15, 2003, as then a spokesman for the NCRI
National Council of Resistance of Iran
The National Council of Resistance of Iran , founded in 1981 in France, is the parliament in exile of the "Iranian Resistance", and is a political umbrella coalition of five Iranian opposition political organizations, the largest organization being the People's Mujahedin of Iran.The President-elect...

, Jafarzadeh also alleged that Iran was running programs for biological and microbial weapons. On March 16, 2005, President Bush said Iran's hidden nuclear program had been discovered "because a dissident group pointed it out to the world." Later that day, White House aides acknowledged that the dissident group cited by the president was the National Council of Resistance of Iran (NCRI). On January 5, 2007, Jafarzadeh claimed that Iran's government had sharply increased its efforts to fan sectarian violence in Iraq, easily transferring money and arms across the Iraqi border. In his news conference, Jafarzadeh provided details of the Iranian forces, including the Quds Force, commanders, resources and plans for Iran sustaining a large-scale terror network in Iraq.

On September 9, 2010, Jafarzadeh made yet another significant revelation about a secret underground uranium enrichment facility under construction in Behjat-abad near Tehran where satellite imagery along with details of the program drew international attention.

Jafarzadeh in the Media

On January 15, 2007, Jafarzadeh was a guest on CNN
CNN
Cable News Network is a U.S. cable news channel founded in 1980 by Ted Turner. Upon its launch, CNN was the first channel to provide 24-hour television news coverage, and the first all-news television channel in the United States...

's Lou Dobbs Tonight
Lou Dobbs Tonight
Lou Dobbs Tonight is an American editorial commentary and discussion program hosted by Lou Dobbs, previously broadcast on CNN and currently on Fox Business Network. The hour-long show aired live on evenings every weekday, and was replayed in the overnight/early morning hours. It covered the major...

news show (6:00 pm ET) discussing Iran's proxy war in Iraq. Jafarzadeh claimed that Iran has 32,000 mercenaries on its payroll in Iraq sabotaging the reconstruction and stabilization efforts.

As late as December 14, 2006, Jafarzadeh was introduced as the past representative of the National Council of Resistance of Iran
National Council of Resistance of Iran
The National Council of Resistance of Iran , founded in 1981 in France, is the parliament in exile of the "Iranian Resistance", and is a political umbrella coalition of five Iranian opposition political organizations, the largest organization being the People's Mujahedin of Iran.The President-elect...

 in an interview with Claude Salhani in which he responded to comments by Mahmoud Ahmadinejad made towards Israel
Mahmoud Ahmadinejad and Israel
Mahmoud Ahmadinejad and Israel refers to the relations between Mahmoud Ahmadinejad and the State of Israel, characterized by contentious speeches and statements, including what many commentators perceive to be calls to destroy the country....

.

As of 2010, Jafarzadeh is a Foreign Affairs Analyst
International relations
International relations is the study of relationships between countries, including the roles of states, inter-governmental organizations , international nongovernmental organizations , non-governmental organizations and multinational corporations...

 for Fox News
Fox News Channel
Fox News Channel , often called Fox News, is a cable and satellite television news channel owned by the Fox Entertainment Group, a subsidiary of News Corporation...

, a position he has held since 2003 and is often a guest on Voice of America
Voice of America
Voice of America is the official external broadcast institution of the United States federal government. It is one of five civilian U.S. international broadcasters working under the umbrella of the Broadcasting Board of Governors . VOA provides a wide range of programming for broadcast on radio...

, or ABC
American Broadcasting Company
The American Broadcasting Company is an American commercial broadcasting television network. Created in 1943 from the former NBC Blue radio network, ABC is owned by The Walt Disney Company and is part of Disney-ABC Television Group. Its first broadcast on television was in 1948...

 Radio Network's John Batchelor Show
John Batchelor
John Calvin Batchelor is an author and host of The John Batchelor Show radio news magazine. Based at WABC radio in New York for five years from early 2001 to September, 2006; the show was syndicated nationally on the ABC radio network. On October 7, 2007, Batchelor returned to radio on WABC New...

. He has lectured at Georgetown University
Georgetown University
Georgetown University is a private, Jesuit, research university whose main campus is in the Georgetown neighborhood of Washington, D.C. Founded in 1789, it is the oldest Catholic university in the United States...

 and the University of Michigan
University of Michigan
The University of Michigan is a public research university located in Ann Arbor, Michigan in the United States. It is the state's oldest university and the flagship campus of the University of Michigan...

. He currently lives and works in Washington, D.C.
Washington, D.C.
Washington, D.C., formally the District of Columbia and commonly referred to as Washington, "the District", or simply D.C., is the capital of the United States. On July 16, 1790, the United States Congress approved the creation of a permanent national capital as permitted by the U.S. Constitution....

 in the United States
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...

.

According to his official website, "Jafarzadeh has frequently appeared on major television and radio broadcasts", including Fox News Channel, CNN, MSNBC, CBS Evening News, NBC, ABC, BBC, Sky News, ITN, VOA, and NPR.

On September 24, 2008, Jafarzadeh appeared on foxnews.com "The Strategy Room" with host Heather Nauert
Heather Nauert
Heather Nauert is an American news anchor for Fox News Channel. On February 1, 2009, Nauert began co-anchoring WNYW's Good Day Early Call and Good Day New York Wake Up morning programs from 4:30am-7am with co-anchor Steve Lacy-Career:She continues to anchor on Fox News Channel, as well as for The...

, to discuss Mahmoud Ahmadinejad's UN appearance.

On 20 March 2009, Alireza Jafarzadeh appeared on CBS Evening News commenting on President Barack Obama's New Year Nowrouz message to the Iranian people.

In June 2009, in the morning of the presidential elections, Jafarzadeh appeared on national television, including Fox News Channel and predicted that Ahmadinejad would be declared the winner of the election, in sharp contrast to the views of almost all other prominent Iran experts.

In February 2010, Jafarzadeh appeared on Fox News Channel suggesting that nuclear negotiations with Tehran would not succeed and that Ahmadinejad would become bolder, unless the international community would exploit what he described as extensive potential for change in Iran.

Strategic Policy Consulting

Jafarzadeh heads his own company, Strategic Policy Consulting, Inc., where he consults as an expert on the nuclear program of Iran
Nuclear program of Iran
The nuclear program of Iran was launched in the 1950s with the help of the United States as part of the Atoms for Peace program. The support, encouragement and participation of the United States and Western European governments in Iran's nuclear program continued until the 1979 Iranian Revolution...

, terrorism
Terrorism
Terrorism is the systematic use of terror, especially as a means of coercion. In the international community, however, terrorism has no universally agreed, legally binding, criminal law definition...

, and Islamic extremism.

Strategic Policy Consulting was formed on July 10, 2003.
The SPC website lists an address at 1101 Pennsylvania Ave. N.W. Suite 600. According to the SPC website, its members have worked professionally with the US Congress, media, agencies, institutions and universities in order to deliver analysis, policy suggestions, and research for more than 20 years.

Controversy

Jafarzadeh's association with the National Council of Resistance of Iran
National Council of Resistance of Iran
The National Council of Resistance of Iran , founded in 1981 in France, is the parliament in exile of the "Iranian Resistance", and is a political umbrella coalition of five Iranian opposition political organizations, the largest organization being the People's Mujahedin of Iran.The President-elect...

 (NCRI) which the US State Department claims is a front organization for the People's Mujahedin of Iran
People's Mujahedin of Iran
The People's Mujahedin of Iran is a terrorist militant organization that advocates the overthrow of the Islamic Republic of Iran....

 (Mujahedin-e Khalq, MEK or MKO) has been a source of controversy. Jafarzadeh was the public spokesperson for the National Council of Resistance of Iran until its office in Washington was closed by the US State Department on the grounds that it was too closely associated with the People's Mujahedin of Iran, which is listed as a terrorist organisation
Terrorism
Terrorism is the systematic use of terror, especially as a means of coercion. In the international community, however, terrorism has no universally agreed, legally binding, criminal law definition...

 by the US State Department. While he vehemently denies such accusations, he appears to support them also, such as in the Fox News of USA coverage on findings of an "Iranian nuclear site"

Jafarzadeh's name appeared in the media in a Houston Chronicle
Houston Chronicle
The Houston Chronicle is the largest daily newspaper in Texas, USA, headquartered in the Houston Chronicle Building in Downtown Houston. , it is the ninth-largest newspaper by circulation in the United States...

article dated December 24, 1986, where he is described as a spokesman for the MEK
People's Mujahedin of Iran
The People's Mujahedin of Iran is a terrorist militant organization that advocates the overthrow of the Islamic Republic of Iran....

. In the article he denied US State Department
United States Department of State
The United States Department of State , is the United States federal executive department responsible for international relations of the United States, equivalent to the foreign ministries of other countries...

 claims that the MEK was a terrorist organization responsible for the assassination
Assassination
To carry out an assassination is "to murder by a sudden and/or secret attack, often for political reasons." Alternatively, assassination may be defined as "the act of deliberately killing someone, especially a public figure, usually for hire or for political reasons."An assassination may be...

 of at least six Americans in Iran, a charge that is vehemently denied by MEK. In the same article, Jafarzadeh compared the MEK's resistance activities to those of the US Founding Fathers
Founding Fathers of the United States
The Founding Fathers of the United States of America were political leaders and statesmen who participated in the American Revolution by signing the United States Declaration of Independence, taking part in the American Revolutionary War, establishing the United States Constitution, or by some...

.

On August 28, 1988, New York Times published an article that Jafarzadeh as then public spokesman for People's Mujahedin of Iran
People's Mujahedin of Iran
The People's Mujahedin of Iran is a terrorist militant organization that advocates the overthrow of the Islamic Republic of Iran....

 in the United States
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...

said:
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