Iranian American Organizations Seek Clarification and Apology from Senator Graham on Iranian Comments

May 27, 2015, Washington, DC – PAAIA, along with six other Iranian American organizations, signed a joint statement today calling on Senator Lindsey Graham (R-SC) to clarify his comments at the Southern Republic Conference last week. Explaining his leadership style and foreign policy stance on the nuclear negotiations with Iran, the Presidential hopeful said, “Everything I know about the Iranians I learned in the pool room…I met a lot of liars and I know the Iranians are lying.”

“As organizations that represent the Iranian-American community, we are deeply concerned by the sentiments expressed by Senator Lindsey Graham suggesting that all Iranians are “liars,’” the statement reads. “There is no place in our political discourse for such comments and we call on Senator Graham to immediately retract his remarks and apologize.”

PAAIA contacted Senator Graham’s office yesterday to seek clarification that his remarks do not reflect his attitude toward the Iranian people. PAAIA will continue to monitor this issue and provide updates as they become available.

Click here to read the full joint statement. 

Click here to read PAAIA’s Statement on Senator Graham’s comments.