For the 2013 UN General Assembly (UNGA), UANI conducted a swift and aggressive response operation to counter new Iranian President Hassan Rouhani’s “charm offensive.” While Rouhani and his Foreign Minister Javad Zarif portrayed themselves to the international community as “moderates,” UANI voiced caution and skepticism, and highlighted Rouhani and Zarif’s past statements and record.
The day prior to Rouhani’s UNGA address, UANI announced as its new President Dr. Gary Samore, President Obama’s former White House Coordinator for Arms Control and Weapons of Mass Destruction (WMD). Dr. Samore issued a statement immediately following Rouhani’s speech, calling it “surprisingly similar to what we are used to hearing from Iran, both in tone and substance.” Dr. Samore’s statement was widely quoted in the press, including by The New York Times and Los Angeles Times.
As in previous years, UANI broke the news about where the Iranian delegation would be staying – the ONE UN Hotel – and alerted supporters, the media and the public. In the lead up to Rouhani’s arrival, UANI secured commitments from New York hotels to not host the Iranian delegation as part of its annual UNGA Campaign. Al Jazeera America profiled UANI and its UNGA campaign in a TV package that ran the morning of Rouhani’s speech, while stories about UANI’s letter to the ONE UN appeared in the Algemeiner and Washington Free Beacon.
Throughout the week, Dr. Samore’s analysis and reaction to the Iranian delegation’s self-proclaimed “moderation” were widely quoted in the press, including in The New York Times, Los Angeles Times (A, B), Bloomberg News (A, B), and Foreign Policy. He was also cited by noted columnists and correspondents, such as David Sanger of The New York Times, Jeffrey Goldberg of Bloomberg News (A, B), and Doyle McManus of the Los Angeles Times.
UANI CEO, Ambassador Mark D. Wallace, appeared on London’s Channel 4 News and Al Jazeera America to discuss Rouhani’s UNGA activities, stating that “it's really concrete actions that we're all looking for.”
On the Sunday following UNGA, Dr. Samore appeared on NBC’s Meet The Press, where he stated that “words are nice, but what really counts … is whether Iran is prepared to take action.” The day after, he spoke with Andrea Mitchell on MSBNC.
UANI also launched its "First 100 Days" resource during UNGA—a concept developed in conjunction with U.S. House Foreign Affairs Committee Chairman Ed Royce (R-CA) and Ranking Member Eliot Engel (D-NY) and explained in a Los Angeles Times Op-Ed. UANI introduced the initiative to track the regime’s actions during Rouhani’s first 100 days in three key areas: Iran's nuclear program, its human rights record, and its role in Syria. After 100 days, the world will see whether the regime’s behavior is truly matching its rhetoric.
