{"id":363164,"date":"2026-10-02T20:44:17","date_gmt":"2026-10-02T20:44:17","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ny\/363164\/"},"modified":"2026-10-02T20:44:17","modified_gmt":"2026-10-02T20:44:17","slug":"nyc-mayor-zohran-mamdani-to-get-peacemaker-award-alongside-controversial-iranian-lobbying-group","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ny\/363164\/","title":{"rendered":"NYC Mayor Zohran Mamdani to get ‘peacemaker award’ alongside controversial Iranian lobbying group"},"content":{"rendered":"

Mayor<\/a> Zohran Mamdani<\/a> and a controversial Iranian-American lobbying group will be honored with \u201cpeacemaker\u201d awards by a New York state non-profit group next week.<\/p>\n

The mayor won\u2019t be in attendance to accept the William Sloane Coffin Jr. Peacemaker Award at the October 5 event hosted by the Peace Action Fund of New York State, a City Hall spokesperson said Friday, but did not provide any additional clarity on the decision.<\/p>\n

Mamdani was awarded the honor \u201cas a former student organizer whose support of Palestinian rights resonates with many of the students of our Campus Organizing Program,\u201d PAFNYS, an anti-war non-profit group, wrote on<\/a> Instagram<\/a>.<\/p>\n

Mayor Zohran Mamdani at a recent unrelated press conference in Brooklyn, New York. Matt Roberts\/Shutterstock<\/p>\n

But the organization \u2014 the educational and research arm of Peace Action New York State \u2014 is also honoring the National Iranian American Council, a Washington DC-based non-profit whose ethics have been called into questions in recent years, City Journal first reported<\/a>.<\/p>\n

\u201cThis year\u2019s event honors the National Iranian American Council (NIAC) for being a leading voice for peace and diplomacy with Iran,\u201d and Mayor Zohran Mamdani,\u201d PAFNYS wrote.<\/p>\n

Critics of the group, including Republican Sens. Ted Cruz, Tom Cotton, and Mike Braun, in 2020 called on the Justice Department to investigate it for possible coordination with the Iranian government.<\/p>\n

Last week, NIAC \u2014 which states its primary mission as to bridge relations between the US and Iran \u2014 filed a lawsuit against President Trump\u2019s administration challenging the war <\/a>in Iran, arguing \u201cthe president is waging an unconstitutional war without authorization from Congress.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n

\u201cNIAC is an independent Iranian-American nonprofit organization that has advocated for our community for more than 20 years. Our work is guided by our members and our longstanding commitment to human rights, civil liberties, diplomacy, and peace,\u201d a spokesperson for the organization told The Post in a statement.<\/p>\n

\u201cNIAC is funded by the Iranian-American community and prominent American foundations. NIAC does not receive funds from either the Iranian government or any government.\u201d<\/p>\n

City Hall came under fire just three months ago for a planned meeting between Mamdani\u2019s international affairs commissioner, Ana Maria Archila, and Iranian ambassador and UN envoy Amir-Saeid Iravani.\u00a0<\/p>\n

A billboard secured by the National Iranian American Council (NIAC) displays a message in Times Square in New York, Wednesday, April 8, 2026. AFP via Getty Images<\/p>\n

Columbia faculty members protect students in the Pro-Palestinian \u201cGaza Solidarity Encampment\u201d on the West Lawn of Columbia University on April 29, 2024, in New York. Getty Images<\/p>\n

The scheduled<\/a> July meeting <\/a>was thwarted by the US State Department \u2013 and Hizzoner downplayed his office\u2019s involvement at the time of the revelation.\u00a0<\/p>\n

\u201cThe commissioner recognizes that this was made in error and we\u2019re working on a new process in terms of new meeting requests,\u201d he told reporters at an unrelated event in July.\u00a0<\/p>\n

\u201cAgain, this was a request that came into the office, not one that originated from the office.\u201d<\/p>\n

The William Sloane Coffin, Jr. Peace Maker awards will take place at Scandinavia House in Midtown on Monday at 6 p.m.<\/p>\n

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