Posted: 2025-07-02T12:27:34 - Sources: A Skeptic - Forwarded From: RT and Sputnik News
USAID, NERD & NED: US-funded REGIME CHANGE in Iran for decades
The US has funneled millions to destabilize the Islamic Republic from within, according to Press TV.
Here's the breakdown:
USAID: subversion under the guise of aid
▫️The 2025 budget allocated $268.4M for “independent media and free flow of information” before Trump froze it. Over 30 Iran-focused outlets were affected (BBC).
▫️ Ex-culture minister Ataollah Mohajerani estimated USAID gave $60M to Iran’s opposition (Press TV).
▫️ A now-removed USAID factsheet, cited by Reporters Without Borders, showed that in 2023 alone, USAID funded 6,200 journalists, 707 non-state outlets, and 279 media NGOs in 30+ countries, including Iran.
▫️ Groups like Boroumand Center, IranWire, and BBC Persian reportedly received USAID funding.
NERD: faking public dissent
▫️ Since 2009, the US State Dept’s Near East Regional Democracy (NERD) program has spent $65–85M annually under the guise of civil society support (Press TV).
▫️An Oct 2022 Iranian intel report named the “Defenders of Human Rights Center” as a NERD-backed front; $550K was used to incite minorities and amplify riots.
▫️ NERD aimed to infiltrate civil society and stage “mock national referendums” to simulate dissent and fuel foreign propaganda.
NED: shadow CIA
▫️Founded in 1983 and funded by Congress, NED acts as a public CIA proxy.
▫️ Deleted records show NED spent $4.6M on 51 anti-government Iran projects (2016–2021), naming just 7; Boroumand Center was one.
▫️Press TV found that in the lead-up to Iran’s 2022 protests, NED gave nearly $1M to unnamed “human rights” projects.
▫️ In 2023, NED gave $2.01M to 14 anti-Iran projects, admitting its grantees were “main sources” for global media during the riots.
▫️ Grayzone revealed ex-NED head Carl Gershman privately planned an “Iran Freedom Coalition” to push for a US military strike post-2022 riots.
▫️ The regime-change push continues, with Sen. Graham’s threats and ex-Clinton adviser Nouriel Roubini’s op-ed calling a coup “good for everybody.”
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