As recently profiled by The Nation, “The Foundation for the Defense of Democracies’ (FDD) militaristic influence on US policy toward Iran is working. Suleimani’s assassination is evidence of that.” The FDD is a pro-Israel think tank funded by prominent American billionaires such as the financier Paul Singer and Home Depot magnate Bernard Marcus, who has relentlessly pushed for a recklessly militaristic US policy against Iran and in the Middle East generally.

According to the Quincy Institute’s Eli Clifton, who has long expertise in tracking the FDD’s money trail, the FDD and US National Security Council arrangement “confirms the widely shared understanding in Washington that FDD is working hand in glove with the administration in shaping and implementing Iran policy.”

Why It Matters: On Friday, in a Tweet directed at the Trump administration, FDD’s hawkish CEO Mark Dubowitz appeared to recommend a policy of deporting Iranian Americans who advocate against a regime change war with Iran. Should war break out with Iran, we fear that this a policy proposal the Trump administration may more seriously entertain.

And expel regime-affiliated persons from the United States. Iranians who love America, in. Regime-affiliated America haters, out. Now that’s smart policy. — Mark Dubowitz (@mdubowitz) January 17, 2020

FDD is going to advocate expelling non-loyal Iranian-American citizens very very soon pic.twitter.com/Azl9R6jeRm — Arash Karami (@thekarami) January 18, 2020

This is chilling and unacceptable. This administration funded an organization that spread propoganda— amplified by @Dubowitz @FDD — labeling Iranian American domestic critics at Human Rights Watch, Int’l Crisis Group, LA Times, & NIAC as “agents of the regime.” https://t.co/1Ji6lNdKf2 — Jamal Abdi (@jabdi) January 18, 2020

a lot are misinterpreting this tweet. it’s simply a call to cleanse the US of undesirable Iranian-Americans not sufficiently loyal to a set of criteria determined by a think tank that is funded by a billionaire. so relax. https://t.co/ClRnE2KqKv — Arash Karami (@thekarami) January 18, 2020